The Assistant
by MariBrian
Summary: Bella and Angela are small town Jersey girls who move to the big Apple. When Bella gets a job working for the sexy actor, Edward Cullen, things get sticky when they mix business with pleasure. AH. Slightly OOC.
1. Chapter 1

******* ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

*********I did a revamp of the Chapters, again, this use to be chapter 2!******

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**Chapter 1:**

I arrived at the 3D Media office at 11:50, ten minutes before my interview was scheduled. I started to feel the familiar tingle of butterflies in the pit of my stomach and I took several deep breaths in an effort to calm my nerves as I put on the black pumps from my bag. I really needed this job. I made okay money as a bartender but it was just only enough to pay the rent and some utilities. I was living off apples from the Union Square farmers market and I lost twenty pounds since I moved to New York, which I was actually really happy about.

So in an effort to get my resume out there, I put it online, little did I know the next day I got a call from a girl named Shelby at 3D Media asking if I would be interested in coming to their offices to interview for a entry level marketing position. I was so excited I scheduled the interview for the next day and since I already had another interview that day, I figured I'd kill two interviews with one outfit. I mentally high fived myself, who said I wasn't resourceful.

After I hung up with Shelby, I did what any prospective employee would do, Googled the company. I found it a little strange that I couldn't find anything about 3D Media online, besides the address listed in Chelsea. Angela, my BFF and roommate, said it was sketchy and the company was probably a cover for an escort service. Hell, I was so desperate for a job maybe I would resort to hooking. They had to make good money...

I chalked it up to it being a new company, which I'm pretty sure Shelby mentioned. Or maybe she didn't, I didn't really hear much besides "we would like you to come in for an interview" I was just so shocked that someone was actually calling _me_ for an interview. It really flipped the script on me, I'm usually an obsessive stalker hounding different HR departments until someone agrees to see me.

I pulled a compact from my purse and checked myself out quickly in the mirror, just to make sure the walk over here didn't mess up my hair or makeup. My long chestnut hair was still neatly tied up in a high ponytail and loose waves hung past my shoulders. My makeup looked good and my false lashes managed to stay on in this freezing weather. I shut the mirror and hastily ripped off my earmuffs, so I didn't walk into the office wearing them. It was the middle of January and it was so cold out that I would rather suffer the embarressiment of being seen in earmuffs than lose my ears to frost bite.

I took a deep breath and walked in. It didn't look like I had to resort to prostitution, the office was very chic and I was greeted by a pretty blonde, Shelby, who asked for my resume and wanted me to fill out the 'get to know you' questions. Typical stuff, name, phone number, social media pages, ect. The social media stuff always bugged me, I didn't want them to see my Facebook page in fear of losing a potential job due to my questionable pictures and drunken status updates. I use to try to untag myself from all the pictures that were taken during a night out but my Facebook started to look like it belonged to Mother Teresa, so I just decided to forgo the whole thing. I kind of enjoy seeing everything I was up to when my memory was a little hazy. So, I just chose to omit the social network question.

After mindlessly flipping through a tabloid, a very pretty man appeared from behind a closed door; "Isabella?" Mr. Pretty Face said, walking towards me. Seriously, he had such feminine features I was suspecting his voice to be more of a falsetto. I must have had a weird look on my face because he knitted his eyebrows together and looked confused but he stretched his hand out to shake mine anyway. "Hi I'm Eric head of Human Resources, are you Isabella?" Snapping back to reality, I plastered a smile on my face and a stifled a slight giggle, I rose to shake his hand "Sorry, yes, please call me Bella." A little too forced. Damn, get it together Swan.

He ushered me into a small room and motioned his for me to sit. He took his place behind a shabby desk that looked like it was taken off the street. Maybe this was an escort service? I was starting to get anxious and I was rubbing my Italian horn necklace between my fingers like it was a magic lamp, hoping a genie would pop out and give me three wishes. This was not good. Then, all of a sudden I was speaking "So.. uh… you're very pretty, what do you do to your skin? It's flawless? Do you do peels or something? Facials?"

Crap, did I just say that? He looked at me like I was mental.

"Um, well, uh, thank you." He totally ignored my question, how rude. I silently wondered he did get his skin like that, he didn't even look like he had pores... hmm...

"So", he continued "I see you graduated in 2011, what have you been doing for the last 2 years?" his voice snapped me back to the present.

This is the question I was dreading, I guess I could tell them about the dark ages but I'd really rather not get into that right now. I was treading on thin ice already. "Well", my voice cracked, "ahem, I've been a Nanny for the past two years." I surprised myself, a nanny? God, I'm lying on an interview. No wonder I don't have a real job.

He knitted his eyebrows together. "Why didn't you list that on your resume?"

Busted."Um. I. ahh. Hmm. It's not on there?" I pointed to the paper. "Gosh I'm such an airhead. I must have printed out one of my old resumes instead of the updated one. Silly me. I can email you the most recent resume when I get home?" Well this is going horrible. I should have just told the truth. But I didn't really feel like bursting into tears in this stupid office. I smiled innocently at him, hoping it would get me off the hook.

He seemed pleased with my answer though, nodding and studying my resume. Thank God. He continued on with some spiel about the company, which I ignored, gesturing for me to look at this map of the United States with hundreds of push pins tacked over various states. The only reply I could come up with was "wow, Texas", nodding my head like an idiot. I'm not getting the job.

"I see you have a degree in Communications, the position we have available is for an entry level marketing" looking me dead in the eye "is marketing something…. something you would be…. willing to do?"

Weird, was it me or did he want that to have a double meaning? Oh shit, maybe this_ is_ an escort service. Just to be sure, I asked "yes, marketing was a major part of my curriculum but just out of curiosity, what would day to day tasks be?" Oh yeah, there's no way to escape that, he'd have to tell me if I was going to be sleeping with people for money. Come to think of it, that probably wouldn't be so bad... I could think of worse jobs to have.

"Well, you would be going to different locations and selling subscriptions for DirecTV."

Say what? He has to be kidding, "Ha-ha, no really? What would I be doing?" I asked a little shocked, I'd rather be a hooker.

He looked like he was losing his patience with me and he spoke very slowly, enunciating each word "You will be going to different retail stores, mainly Wal-Mart in a booth that will be provided for you, for you to sell subscriptions for the television provider, DirecTV."

Oh hell no. "Oh" I said, "I wasn't under the impression that this position was _that_ kind of job." Since when does someone need a college degree to sit in Wal-Mart and sell stuff?

He looked like he had enough of me, his tone was clipped, "Well, what were you expecting?" He made me so uneasy.

"Um, I'm not really sure but I'm looking for more of an office position.. I guess" I was getting pissed that this guy was getting _mad_ at me. Is he serious?

He looked like he was over the interview, almost annoyed by me and made no mention to speak. He just stared at me. I had to get out of there, fast; this was just the weirdest experience of my life. "Um, yeah, I guess this really.. isn't.. for me.. I guess… Thank you for your time."

He didn't even get up to see me out. What a jerk. Did I really waste my time on an interview for _Wal-Mart_? I was furious! Why didn't Shelby tell me this on the phone! I graduated from Rutgers University summa cum laude! I'm an educated woman and this man wanted me to sit in a booth in Wal-Mart and sell TV subscriptions! Please!

I stopped to put on my black wool trench coat and Shelby looked at me quizzically. I gave her a small wave and practically ran out of the office.. Well as fast as I could run in 4 inch heels. I reached the street and screamed as loud as I could. "AAAHHHHHH!" I quickly shut up because I realized I was screaming directly in some unsuspecting person's face. I was stunned. Holy shit. It was Edward Cullen. I just screamed in the face of the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my life. It was my favorite actor, Edward Cullen. I just screamed in the face of People's Sexiest Man Alive, Oscar winning actor, desire of women everywhere. Could this day get any worse? At first he looked bewildered and then his face turned to one of fear. Oh god, he thinks I'm crazy, like I just escaped from the insane asylum.

I muttered "sorry" accidently dropping my stupid earmuffs but I had too much pride to pick them up. Oh my god, this is humiliating! I quickly turned on my heel and hurriedly walked away. Power walked was more like it. Great, now on top of all this shit, my ears are going to freeze off but I was too embarrassed to pick them up and face him for a second longer.

I took my phone from my pocket to check the time, I was having a horrible day, and it was only 12:30. Great, I still had an hour and a half until my next interview. Maybe I could call them and see if they could move my interview up? My nerves were already shot and I couldn't bear having to deal with the butterflies in my stomach for much longer, so I looked up the number and hit send.

"Hello, Roxie Entertainment Group, this is Alicia speaking how may I direct your call?"

"Hi Alicia, This is Isabella Swan, I have an interview scheduled for 2:00 with.. erm"… fumbling through my purse for the interviewers name I scribbled on a sheet of paper last week "Laurent Jackson.. and something has come up and I was wondering if he would be able to see me earlier, if at all possible, if not it's no big deal, I can keep the original time." After that rant, I let out an audible sigh.

Alicia, oblivious to my horrible mood, spoke to me like I was winning the lottery "Oh Isabella! Today must be you're lucky day" HA. That was the understatement of the century. "He had a one-fifteen meeting that was canceled, if that time works for you I would be happy to inform Mr. Jackson that your appointment has been rescheduled?"

Lucky day my ass. "Oh great! Thank you so much Alicia! One one-fifteen sounds perfect! See you soon!" Hanging up my phone, I headed for Rockefeller Center.

I should have put my flats back on because the thirty minute walk to the Roxie offices caused me my feet to feel as if I was walking on glass. Like my spirit, I think my feet were broken. And my ears felt like ice cubes. My poor earmuffs. They were probably on the side of the street, sitting in a dirty puddle.

As I was sitting in the waiting room at Roxie, I was mentally exhausted. Physically too, I was just happy to be sitting down. My feet still throbbed. And after my disastrous interview at 3D Media, screaming in the face of the most beautiful man I've ever seen and freezing my ass off during an excruciating walk, I was wiped out. Done. I really shouldn't be at this interview. I could already tell it was going to be horrible just from my frame of mind.

But I couldn't walk out and blow it off. My cousin, Rosalie, set up this interview. She would never speak to me again. Then again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Rosalie is six years older than me; our mothers are sisters and are inseparable, so myself, Rosalie and her older brother Jasper were constantly together growing up. Even though I'm an only child I think of her and Jazz as more of my siblings than my cousins. When I was younger I wanted to be just like Rosalie because she was everything I wanted to be. Rosalie looks like she just stepped off the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. She's blonde, tall and one of those skinny people that can eat anything they want without gaining a pound, but if she does, it goes straight to her boobs. If that's not enough to hate her, she's absolutely stunning. Like old Hollywood beautiful. She always has been. She never even went through one of those awkward stages as a teenager and I didn't grow out of my awkward stage until I graduated high school.

I use to copy everything she did when we were growing up. Her mannerisms, clothes, hair, you name it I tried to copy it and I think somewhere along the line she started to resent me for it. After my mother gave me the talk about being my own person, I stopped trying to be Rose 2.0 and started to come into my own. But she never fails to remind me about that phase of my life and if she's not, she's making other snide remarks about me and putting me down. Saying I'm "too Jersey". Please, like that's suppose to insult me? What does that even mean? The worst part about it is when I confront her about it she claims that I need to lighten up and take a joke. She has some sense of humor... Not.

Even though she's beautiful, Rose is a major bitch, the queen of all bitches if you will. She's calculating and manipulative but she somehow masks all that and comes off as incredibly charming and captivating to everyone around her. Unless you're her target, then you feel her wrath. She's the Regina George of Manhattan. Though, despite knowing her evil ways, I still can't help but love her. And so does everyone else.

After she graduated from college, she immediately got a job at Victoria's Secret corporate office. She worked her way up the company ladder and now she is the Senior Director of their Online Catalogue. Apparently she knows Laurent though various work engagements and "went out on a limb," her words not mine, to set this interview up. I literally had to beg her. Beg. Her. Ugh. So I really couldn't mess this up.

She would be calling me later, I'm sure, to get every detail about how the interview went. And I couldn't afford to have this interview go sour, I just couldn't deal with her talking down to me, telling me how I embarrassed her. Once again. I really could not screw this up.

God, I shouldn't have thought about Rose because I'm even more anxious and self conscious than I was before. I didn't think it was even possible.

Before I knew it, I was sitting in front of Laurent Jackson. You know when you picture someone in your mind and then you meet the person and they look completely different than you pictured them? Well, thats what happened with Laurent. I imagined him to look like Al Roker but in reality he looked more like Bob Marley. Dreadlocks and all. He greeted me with a warm smile and engaged me in some small talk.

He studied my resume, asking the obvious question "I see you do not have a job listed since you graduated in 2011? What have you been doing the past two years?"

Ugh, this question. I really didn't like discussing my personal life with anyone. I just couldn't deal with this question right now and before I realized it, the words were out of my mouth "Well I thought the world was going to end December 21st 2012, you know the whole Mayan thing? So I held off on getting a job, I just wanted to enjoy the rest of my time alive, ya know? But obviously the world didn't end because its 2013…so yeah… here I am!" Instinctively I started rubbing my Italian horn. I couldn't believe I said that. It was worse than the whole Nanny thing! What the hell was I thinking! I really need to get my act together! Rosalie is never going to speak to me again.

He looked at me stunned, and then let out a booming laugh that took me by surprise. I internally sighed with relief and plastered a smile across my face. Thank God. Crisis averted, he took it as a joke!

"Well, Miss Swan, you are a very funny girl... So tell me a little more about yourself? What are you looking for in your future?" The rest of the interview passed without a hitch.

As I walked out of the office I was happy with how the rest of the interview proceeded. It was only 1:35. I looked at the clock thinking the time was wrong, the interview couldn't have only lasted twenty minutes. That couldn't be good. I brushed it off and figured I'd stop into Starbucks and get something to warm me up before my walk back to SoHo. Plus, I had some time to kill before meeting up with Ang. As I was waiting in line, it always amazed me at how long the lines in these places are since there is one practically on every corner, my cell phone started ringing. I looked at the caller ID and was not surprised, it was Rosalie.

"Hi!" She squeaked "I just wanted to wish you good luck on the interview! Don't mess it up! I'm putting my neck on the line for you!" Ugh thanks Rose, is that really her idea of a good pep talk? "Well thanks for the encouragement Rose, but I actually just left the interview."

Even though her voice was calm I knew she was pissed "What do you mean you just _left _the interview, Bella? What the hell did you do that they wouldn't even see you?" She really stressed the word left.

I sighed "Calm down Ro! I just _left_" copying her condescending tone "the interview because I called and had the interview moved up an hour" I lied because I couldn't deal with her scrutinizing me due to the fact the interview was so short. I had to be on guard when I talked to her. She seemed much happier with my answer and she seemed genuinely concerned with how it went "So, spill! How did it go?"

Hearing her lighter tone, the words left me in a rush "Oh Rose! It went really well! I was so happy considering the interview I had before this was HORRIBLE; really, they wanted me to sell TV subscriptions in Wal-Mart! Can you believe that! Do they even have a Wal-Mart in the city? Anyway that's not the point!" I took a deep breath and continued "Laurent was so nice! He even laughed at my joke about why I haven't worked since I graduated!" Shit. Oh shit. I shouldn't have said that but I was so excited I wasn't thinking. Shit.

And of course she honed in on that detail, "_What joke?" _ Her voice was strained. Oh shit.

"Um… well. It was nothing really... It doesn't matter. The interview went great! I'm almost certain their going to hire me!"

She completely ignored all the positive things I said to her. "Bella, _what_ did you say to him? Please tell me you didn't make a joke about your mom being sick?" She just had to bring that up, I was finally in a good mood today and I didn't need her bringing up that horrible time in my life.

I was pissed and all my reasoning went out the door. "No. I didn't tell him about mom being sick." There was an edge to my voice "I may have said something about the world ending in 2012 and I didn't want to spend my last days alive working!" I heard a chuckle escape from someone behind me in line. Seriously people were so rude. I was having a private conversation.

Rosalie's voice snapped me back to our conversation "BELLA" I could tell she was talking though clenched teeth "I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU WERE SO STUPID TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK HE'D GIVE YOU THE JOB AFTER YOU MADE SUCH AN IDIOTIC COMMENT! DON'T YOU REALIZE HOW YOU ACT HAS A DIRECT REFLECTION ON ME? I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET YOU TALK ME INTO SETTING UP THIS INTERVIEW. I KNEW YOU WOULD EMBARRESS ME!" ugh. I couldn't deal with her anymore.

"Ok ROSALIE" I was seriously pissed, between her and the jerk behind me "sorry I embarrassed you, I'll never bother you again." And with that I hung up the phone and tossed it in my hot pink bag. Childish, I know but I was on the verge of tears and really didn't want to have a breakdown in line at Starbucks. I still had some dignity.

So instead of crying I tried to focus on my anger and unleashed my rage against the eavesdropper behind me. I turned around and without looking at who I was speaking to "Listen asshole, I'm sorry you're life is so boring and pathetic that you need to pry in other peoples conversations to feel like you have a nice life…." I stopped speaking when I looked into the face of none other than Edward Cullen. "Uhh..Um.. " I lost my train of thought.

He looked thoroughly amused. "No, don't stop, what about my boring life?" His voice made me weak in the knees.

I stuttered "Uh, sorry I'm just having a bad day" My cheeks felt like they were on fire. I could only imagine the shade of red my face was. It probably resembled a fire truck.

"Miss, what can I get you?" Thank the lord for the barista behind the counter. I quickly spun around. Trying to regain my composure, I stuttered "I'll have a Grande passion fruit tea with agave."

A sexy voice from behind said, "And to that order I'll have a Venti coffee, with soy milk and agave." I turned to look at Edward Cullen. He had a sexy smile plastered across his perfect face "Since I'm such a nosy bastard, at least let me buy you're drink, make it up to you." Well damn, I wish I ordered a muffin too. I must have been staring at him because he started speaking again "After interrupting your screaming fit this morning and your obvious relief the world is still spinning, the least I can do is get you a tea". Shit. He remembered me? He quickly handed the barista a credit card.

Well at least I wasn't the only person who seemed dazzled by the beautiful Mr. Cullen. She stammered and mumbled something inaudible. He gestured for us to walk over where we would pick up our drinks and I managed to form a complete sentence "Well thank you Mr. Cullen but you didn't have to buy my tea." Sighing. I gave him a tight smile. I couldn't wait to tell Angela that Edward Cullen bought me a drink at Starbucks, she would die!

He ran his hand through his auburn hair, it looked like he just had sex. He probably did with his reality star girlfriend. That's why he needed caffeine, he was so exhausted by the great sex he was having. Damn, he's so attractive. I was instantly wishing I read the article about them in the Us Weekly I was flipping through while I was waiting at 3D media. Shit! Why didn't I read the article? Did it say something about love on the rocks? Or were they getting engaged on rocks? Having sex on rocks? AH! Whatever, it wasn't important.

"Oh, by the way, I think these belong to you" he pulled my cheetah earmuffs from his jacket pocket. If my face looked like a fire truck before, I couldn't even imagine what color it was now. "Oh, um, thanks, my ears are freezing!" I snatched the earmuffs from his hand a little too hastily, accidently half grabbing his hand along with the earmuffs. He must think I'm such a freak. But he laughed at my fumble anyway. His laugh was like hearing angels sing. When did I get so cheesy? GET IT TOGETHER SWAN.

He spoke softly, "Yeah, I didn't know people still wore those things anymore" I must have looked as mortified as I felt, because he leaned into me and whispered in my ear "I have to admit, I may have worn them for a bit. And I think my ego may have to take a hit because I'm defiantly going to buy a pair, I don't know how I ever survived without them."

I couldn't move. I panicked, could someone become paralyzed without having a spinal injury? He was so close to me and he smelled so good. Oh God, did he smell good. A small moan may have escaped my mouth. I pray that it didn't. Thankfully at the same moment the barista called that our drinks were ready.

I quickly snatched my tea off the counter. Stuttering "U..uh.. thanks for the drink! And thanks for returning my earmuffs" God I don't think I could be any more embarrassed. I made my way over to a nearby table to switch back into my flats. If I didn't die of embarrassment first, I was going to die from the pain in my feet.

I noticed a body sliding into the chair across the table from me. "So, earmuff girl, do you have a name?" Earmuff girl! Really? Edward Cullen just called me earmuff girl. This was a new low. "Isabella.. um.. my name is Bella" God could I sound like anymore of a loser. GET IT TOGETHER SWAN! I needed to replace my morning manta with those four words; I was saying them so frequently.

He chuckled. God that smile. "So Bella, did you really tell an interviewer that you thought the world was going to end?" He leaned towards me, like he didn't want anyone to overhear our conversation.

And then I was laughing. Uncontrollably. All of the stress of today just came out. Tears were running down my face and I was gasping for air. I also may have snorted. God that felt good. Wiping my eyes, I regained my composure. "Yeah! He asked me why I didn't have a job listed on my resume for two years and I told him I didn't want a job because I thought the world was going to end and didn't want to spend my last days alive working!" The laughing fit started again. I couldn't stop.

I looked at Edward and he was laughing, such a genuine laugh, he was holding onto his stomach, I wonder what his stomach looked like. Did he have a six pack? Eight pack? I wanted to run my tongue all over them.

I don't know what kept me talking but I found myself saying "yeah but that's only the half of it. My first interview, I was under the impression I was going for 'entry level marketing job'" making quotation marks with my fingers "and apparently that situation entails sitting in a booth in Wal-Mart selling television subscriptions!" Giggling , I pretended like I was talking over a loudspeaker "Attention Wal-Mart shoppers! Were rolling back prices on DirecTV subscriptions! See Bella in the entertainment section!" We were both laughing so hard, most of the Starbucks patrons were staring at us and for some reason, I couldn't have cared less!

As our laughter subsided things were silent for a moment before he spoke again "So is that what caused you to scream in my face earlier… Or were you involved in some other absurd state of affairs today?" Telling Edward all this made me feel so much better about how the day turned out.

"Yeah that was it, it's been a hell of a day and it's only" checking my phone for the time "two thirty." Shit. If I was supposed to meet Ang at Clearwater's at 3:30, I should probably get going. But I didn't want to leave Edward. What was that about, I didn't even know the guy. "Ah.. I actually.. um.. have to go.. thanks for the drink… again" Geeze. I sounded like a broken record.

Edward looked confused "Damn, do you have another interview? You, miss, are on a very serious job hunt." I glared at him as I started walking towards the door, it was rude of me but I was happy to see he was following me. "No, I'm suppose to meet a friend, we both had interviews today too and well I guess I was planning on this day going a lot better and well, we were going to celebrate our new jobs." A frown tugged at the corner of my mouth. I couldn't believe I messed these interviews up, I was starting to panic wondering how I was going to pay my bills.

As we walked out of Starbucks and down the street I noticed he was keeping pace with me "Well, it's your lucky day because I'm in the market for a personal assistant."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Some Wall Street looking guy cursed at us for standing in the middle of the sidewalk but I didn't care. "OH MY GOD! Could I get an interview? Here hold my tea for a second" shoving my tea into his hands, I fumbled through my hot pink Birkin and grabbed one of my resumes "here, this is my resume." We switched items and he glanced over the sheet of paper.

Once again, the smile that crossed his beautiful face made me weak in the knees "Well you seem to waste no time, since you have somewhere to be now, how about if we set up an interview for tomorrow? I'll have to talk to my manager but I'll contact you later today to set up a time" he paused "is this your cell number?"

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! OMG EDWARD CULLEN WAS GOING TO CALL ME! Grated, it was strictly on a professional level but he was going to call me none the less! I was thankful he couldn't read my mind in that moment. I tried to act as composed as possible and in my most professional voice I said "Yeah. That sounds perfect! I look forward to hearing from you, Mr. Cullen."

I walked away feeling better than I had in years. I, Bella Swan, was going to work for Edward Cullen. Granted, I didn't get the job yet but I was going to do everything in my power to get this job. No more messing around. I wanted this more than anything I've ever wanted in my life. Well, besides my pink Birkin that I bought off a Chinaman for fifty dollars, I still feel slightly guilty thinking about the woman the bag was obviously stolen from but I try not to dwell on that minor detail.

Who cares! I was going to work for _the _Edward Cullen. I was going to work for an Oscar winning actor! I was going to work for the one of the hottest men on the planet! AHHHHHHHHHH! I couldn't help but be pleased with myself.

I did an internal hair flip. Take that, Rosalie!


	2. Chapter 2

****** * ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This is USE TO BE Chapter 3 & 1/2 of Chapter 4!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

**Edward's POV:**

I left Starbucks feeling jittery and it wasn't from the caffeine, because I barely touched my coffee. I watched Bella walk away, her ass was swinging back and forth. I couldn't help but break into a shit eating grin. What was that about? Ever since she screamed in my face this morning, she was all I could think about. I wanted to make her scream. I wanted to hear her scream my name.

At first, when it happened, I was freaked out, but when I looked into her face she was without a doubt one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. Her lips. I couldn't help but picture those lips wrapped around my dick. My hands entwined in that long hair of hers, pushing her mouth down on my hard cock. I felt a familiar strain in the front of my pants.

And the blush that spread across her face, oh, what else I would do to her to make her face flush like that. My jeans suddenly felt way too tight.

Now I'm getting ahead of myself. First thing was first. I took my phone out and dialed Emmett. He answered on the third ring "Yo! My dude! I was wondering when Tanya was going to let you out of the bedroom. What's up man?" Shit. Tanya. I hadn't thought about her all morning.

"Hey man. Oh you know, I had to take a break and get some coffee, get my energy back up." That was only a half lie. I did run out for coffee, I just didn't drink it. "I have something I need for you to do. You know how I'm in the market for a new PA?" No? Well that's because wasn't.

"Well, I found a possible candidate and I just need you to do a background check for me. Get me all the usual stuff, but see what else you can find on this girl."

Being a celebrity has its draw backs, mainly, I have to be very selective about who I let into my life. After getting screwed over one too many times, I started doing background checks on all people I let into my private circle. "I want to know everything that's out there." Shit. He was going to see right through this.

I cleared my throat and started speaking before he could bust my balls. Looking over her resume for what felt like the 1,000th time, "Her name is Isabella Swan. She lives at 55 Thompson Street Apartment 15A. That's about all I have on her, think you can work with that?" I needed to distract him from the fact I was practically stalking this girl.

Luckily for me Em took the bait "Bro, how you gonna question my skills like this? Give me a couple hours and I'll be able to tell you this chicks bra size, or would you prefer to know what color panties she was wearing today?" Damn. I would like to know what color panties she was wearing.

Taking my silence as confirmation to his question, he laughed "Damn bro, who is this chick?" I needed him to get off this topic.

"You're sick man; she's just a possible employee. Want to get drinks later and you can give me all the dirt?" Lucky for me, Emmett dropped the subject. "Yeah man. 8 o'clock, Jocks?" I let out a sigh of relief.

"Sounds good Em, see you then." I tucked my phone in my back pocket and walked back to my Gramercy apartment, silently contemplating if Bella wore thongs, boy shorts or, better yet, nothing.

I arrived at Jocks at 7:45 and I was a little anxious, to say the least. I found a booth in the corner and ordered a beer. By the time Emmett got there I was on my third Heineken. He threw a manila envelope on the table "Bro. Where are your manners, I see you had" eyeing my empty beer bottles "..three Hiney's and you didn't even have the courtesy to order your big brother one?" Ignoring his whining, I signaled for the waitress to bring us two more beers. Hell, I needed some liquid courage, I was a little nervous to hear what Emmett found.

After Emmett took a long swig of my beer, he got down to business. "So, Isabella Swan, if I may add, this girl is smoking hot! Not to mention, she looks like she knows how to have a good time, I printed you some of the pictures I pulled from her Facebook and one I found somewhere else," tapping the envelope with his index finger "And I may have kept some copies for myself." Giving me a wink, he took another swig of my beer. "Damn bro, really, if you hire her you got to introduce me, I need to tap that!" I grabbed my beer from him with such force, he jumped in his seat.

"Eddie boy, you know I'm just messing with you. I just love busting your balls. You need to relax; you're going to give yourself a heart attack. So want me to start from the beginning?"

"What do you mean start from the beginning?" Even though I was trying to feign nonchalance, my voice was a little too forced.

Emmett laughed "Do you want me to start from when she was born and work our way to the present? Or vice versa?" He eyed me curiously. Thankfully, the waitress broke the tension by dropping off our drinks.

I needed to pull myself together. "Oh, yeah… Sorry man, Tanya wore me out today. Start from the beginning." There. That would get him off my back. I took a sip of my beer. "So, what did you find?"

Emmett opened the manila envelope, taking out a stack of papers. "Well, to start, Isabella Marie Swan" looking me in the eye and giving me his megawatt smile, "was born September 13th 1989, that makes her" counting on his fingers "twenty-three years old." I tried not to laugh at his stupidity. "She grew up in Woodcliff Lakes, New Jersey which is in Bergen County..and according to Google.. is about 30 minutes outside the city. Her father is the Bergen County Chief of Police, which explains why all the little discrepancies she has been involved in, have led to no charges being put on her record."

Charges. Oh. Shit. This girl was a criminal. I couldn't have a criminal working for me. Wait. Maybe we could roll play? I could be the corrections officer and she could be a naughty inmate. Oh yeah. Who cares if she a thief. I'll just make sure to put all my valuables in a safety deposit box. "So" my voice cracked and I cleared my throat, "what kind of criminal is she?"

To this, Emmett let out a booming laugh and passed me another paper from the stack "Eddie boy, I wouldn't say she's a criminal." I looked at the paper as he went on, "most of the stuff wouldn't even be classified as misdemeanors. Trespassing in a park after midnight, public intoxication while underage, and she was caught with less than a gram of Marijuana." Oh. Well that wasn't so bad. It sounds like normal teenage stuff. Right?

"One thing her father was not able to get her off the hook so easily, was..." he started banging his fingers against the table "Drum roll please… she apparently vandalized a guys car, James Russo, to be exact" he stifled a laugh, "she fucked his car up!"

I practically spit out my beer. Emmett was laughing hard now but he managed to speak "sorry man" ahem, "no charges were brought against her but she did reach a settlement with Mr. Russo." I couldn't imagine the sweet girl I met before trashing some guy's car. I couldn't help but wonder what James did to Bella. Gaining my composure, "When did all of these things happen?"

Emmett studied another piece of paper, "The trespassing, underage and marijuana happened over a four month period when she was 16… And the vandalism happened when she was 18." he took another swig of his beer "It seems Miss Swan was a bit of a rebellious youth" he was still laughing and I couldn't help but think out loud "She must have kept the Chief on his toes." Images of Bella taking a baseball bat to a rusty Trans Am made my pants feel two sizes too small.

Emmett flipped to another piece of paper "After that, Miss Swan managed to keep herself out of trouble. She went to Rutgers University and graduated in 2011 with honors. Nothing unusual happened there." He flipped to another piece of paper and his face turned to one of confusion.

"After she graduated, she went off the grid" he made a gesture with his hands "Poof. She disappeared. She wasn't employed, no run ins with the law, not even a parking ticket, I couldn't even find any credit card purchases."

Hmm. This was weird. What was she doing for those two years? Maybe she wasn't joking about being scared the world was going to end? No. That's ridiculous. "What do you mean you couldn't find anything?"

Emmett looked extremely puzzled by this "I don't know man. There was nothing until" flipping to another piece of paper "October 2012, when she moved to New York."

Ok. So she didn't disappear because she was scared the world was going to end. I took a sip of my beer and was just thinking out loud "She hasn't been in the city for very long."

Emmett took this as a sign to continue "Yeah, she rents her apartment from a Jasper Hale, who appears to be her cousin, and she has one roommate" looking through the stack of papers, he handed me a picture of Bella and another girl wearing Rutgers sweatshirts. He pointed to the girl "Her name is Angela Webber."

My head was starting to spin from the beer and all the information Emmett found out about her. Her roommate was beautiful too. What did they put in the water in New Jersey?

"They both work at a bar called Clearwater's, it's at 162 Spring Street, looks like a real dive" Emmett signaled the waitress for another round. "Anyway," he continued pulling out more photos from the pile of papers "it appears she has a connection to Tanya" I choked on my beer.

After a slight coughing fit I managed to speak. "Uh. What. How?"

Emmett was loving pushed two photos forward. "This" pointing to a picture of Bella and Angela sandwiched between two guys. "Is Bella and Angela with Mike and Ben Newton." Who? Was I supposed to know these guys? I picked up the picture and studied it. Bella had her body pressed flush against one of the guys, her hand resting on his chest and his hand was resting on the small of her back. It seemed like such an intimate gesture. Seeing them together made me furious. I put my acting skills to the test and gave Emmett my best confused expression.

He took the bait "Newton? Not ringing any bells? Well their mother is on a little reality show called Jersey Wives which they appear on frequently."

This made no sense "Ok. So what does this have to do with Tanya?" I said.

Emmett looked exasperated "Dude, do you live under a rock?" Pointing to the other picture, I noticed it was of Tanya and the Newton brothers on a red carpet "the same network that produces Tanya's reality show, Tanya's World_,_ is the same network that produces Jersey Wives. These pictures are from the network Holiday party."

I remembered Tanya talking about that party. I was in the middle of filming a movie and she begged me to go but the last thing I wanted to do was spend my night off with a bunch of reality stars. "Oh." It was all I could muster.

Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, I asked the obvious question "So wait. Is she dating one of these Newton guys?" Emmett broke out his megawatt smile again. "I was hoping you would ask that. No. She is not dating one of them, but it appears they do live in the same apartment building."

Hmm. Good. She was single. Tossing the picture at him "So Em, it seems you're losing your touch."

He looked horrified."What are you talking about? I got some good stuff." Sweeping his hand over the papers that were scattered all over the table.

I swallowed the rest of my beer, reaching for the new one, I didn't even notice the waitress drop them off "Well, you did say you could find out her bra size and I see nothing here in reference to that." It felt good messing with Emmett.

A dark look passed across his face. Uh oh. He started shuffling through the pile of papers. He broke out into a huge smile as he passed the picture over to me. My mouth went dry. Hot damn. The picture was of Bella in a matching black lace bra and panties, passed out in what I hope was her bed. Her hair was fanned out over a pillow and her arms were resting above her head. Where did he find this?

Emmett was laughing "Sorry Eddie boy, what was that?"

I couldn't speak. I just sat there with my mouth open, looking at the picture.

Then, Emmett suddenly ripped the picture from my hand, studying it, "In my expert opinion" rubbing his chin between his thumb and index finger "It looks as if she appears to be a 36C. All natural." I grabbed the picture back. God damn. She looked good. My dick was hard. I was going to need to use this picture later.

I managed to get a sentence out. Still staring at the photo. "Um. Yeah. I think this about covers everything."

Emmett laughed, "Oh, my dear brother, you are in for some serious shit." He started to pile the papers together. "There's other stuff in here, bank info, credit score, more pictures" he laughed. Pointing to the picture in my hand "nothing as good as that one though."

I suddenly couldn't wait to get out of there. Emmett must have noticed. He drained the rest of his beer. "You gotta hire this broad bro, I'm really curious to see if she's half as cool as she seems." He winked at me as he got out of the booth "and by the way, thanks for the beers dude!" he clapped me on the shoulder and walked out of the bar.

Shaking my head I took out my cell phone and Bella's resume that I had folded up in my pocket. Without pausing to think, I dialed Bella's number.

* * *

**Bella's POV:**

When I met up with Angela at Clearwater's, she was over the moon with how her interview went. She had already heard back from the school, they asked her if she would be available to come in for a second interview, this time with the head of the department she was applying for a position in.

I, on the other hand, was still licking my wounds about how awful my interviews turned out. I was starting to understand where Rosalie was coming from; I couldn't believe I acted so immature. Though, I was still excited about my prospective job with the sexy earmuff thief, Edward Cullen.

Ang and I rehashed the whole encounter with Edward, multiple times, over multiple drinks. I was very buzzed and Ang decided we needed a guy's perspective on what Edwards's intentions were, so I called Mike and Ben and told them to meet us at the bar." That was four hours ago.

"Bells, what kind of weirdo is this guy? He's probably gay; you said he actually wore your cheetah earmuffs? What is wrong with him? What if you had lice or some disease? He just puts them on without knowing a thing about who they belonged to?"

I was laughing so hard, vodka came out my nose "OMG! It burns! It burns! It burns!" Everyone was laughing at me "Shut up guys!" Focusing my wrath on Ben, "HE'S NOT GAY! AND I'm a very hygenicous person. Hygenous. Hygenic? Whatever. You know what I mean." I drained the rest of my glass.

Mike spoke up "Nah man, he's not gay. Remember, he's dating Tanya Denali? She's friends with our sister, Lauren. Anyway, she's always telling us about them, how Tanya says the sex was out of this world."

"Guys, enough about Edward Cullen and Tanya Denali" Ang looked at me, rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out "It's time for us to dance!"

"YEAHHHHHHHHHH! Come on Ben, Mike, come dance with me!" I crawled over Mike to get out of the booth. "Nah Bells, you know I don't dance" he said, grunting as a climbed over his body.

Woah. Standing up. Head rush. Ben grabbed my waist to steady me. I smiled at him and pulled him out to the dance floor. Ang was already at the old jukebox picking out a song to play.

All of a sudden, Whitney Houston's _It's Not Right but It's Ok_ started blasting over the speakers and the three of us were grinding all over each other. I don't know how much time has passed but Mike came over, yelling in my ear "Bella, you left your phone on the table, it started ringing so I answered it… It's Edward Cullen." Yeah Right.

"Mike! Yeah right! And I'm Britney Spears!" I yanked the phone from his hand and started to walk towards the door. I stopped at the table to grab the pack of Marlboro lights from my purse.

I walked outside, lit a cigarette and took a long drag. Damn that was good.

"Hellloooooooo? Thisss is Bella, whos thisch"

A sexy voice sounded confused, "Um Bella? This is Edward Cullen. We met earlier today? Is everything ok? You sound kind of weird?" ha. Please. Edward Cullen my ass. Mike is such a prankster. Maybe I'd have some fun with this guy.

Trying my most sexy voice "Well, hello Edwarddd, how couldch I forget youuu, schexyy mannn, I've been thinking about you all day."

I heard a sharp intake of air at the other end of the line "Um. Ok? Well. Um. I was just calling to set up at interview with you? Are you sure you're ok? You're slurring your words.."

Damn. Mike must have told this guy what to say. Well jokes on this guy! "I'm fine. Im justhh out withch some friendssss. Sooooooo. An interview huhh." I looked at my phone at the number. It was private. Oh my god! It was Mike! He was the guy on the other line. He's BUSTED. And it was 10:00, the real Edward wouldn't call that late at night. "at ten o'clock at night? If thatschh what you want to call it. Yeah. Letsch meet up for an interview." I took another long drag of my cigarette.

There was laughter at the other end of the line. The asshole was actually laughing at me. "Um. Bella? I think you misunderstood. I really would like to interview you to be my PA, remember? Obviously now is not a good time to be discussing this, so umm.. I'll call you tomorrow and we can set up a time."

Seriously. Mike is such an asshole. Playing with my emotions like this. "Okkkkk Mikeeeeee, jokesh up! I know itshh you. You really are a son of a bitch" I tossed my cigarette into the street, walked back into the bar to find him and catch him in the act. The only problem is I found him sitting at the bar talking to my boss, Sam and he wasn't on the phone.

"OH MY GOD!" I shrieked.

Mike and Sam looked at me like I had ten heads. Forgetting I was still on the phone I was screaming at mike "Mike! What the fuck! Isn't thishh you on the phone?"

He looked horrified. "Oh my god Bella. I told you it was Edward Cullen. You left your phone at the booth and it started ringing so I answered it for you. Edward asked to speak to you about setting up an interview."

Holy fuck. Oh my god. I just ruined another possible job. What is wrong with me? I quickly threw the phone at Mike "I can't speak to him! I just tried to seduce him thinking it was you playing a joke on me! You have to fix this! Pleaseeeeee!" I was practically in tears.

Hesitantly, Mike took the phone from me "Uh. Um. Bro, you still there?" Mike was silent for a moment so I'm hoping Edward was still on the line.

"Yeah man. I'm sorry about this. I've been feeding her drinks night. She had a rough day. So. Uh… yeah. Just ignore everything she said to you. She thought it was one of my buddies playing a joke" He was laughing. This could either be good or really horrible.

"Yeah man. No problem. I'll tell her you'll speak to her tomorrow. Yeah. I'll make sure she gets home safe. No problem. Later boss." He hung up and handed me the phone.

By this time I had my head, face down resting on my folded arms on the bar. "Drink up sweet cheeks, you're gonna need this." Sam slid me a drink from across the bar.

Mike turned to me, laughing "So. Bella, after hearing what just happened, and the fact that this guy still wants to give you an interview, my manly instincts are telling me that he wants to sleep with you. So, chin up soldier." He clinked his beer against my drink that was still sitting on the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

*** ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

**** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This is USE TO BE 2nd half of Chapter 4 and Chapters 5-6!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

My head was pounding. Even my hair hurt. I opened one eye. Where am I? God. It was impossibly bright in here. I looked at the bedding. Oh good, grey leopard print comforter. I was in my room. Man, I need to get better curtains ASAP. I rolled on my side, away from my window and I saw a bottle of coconut water and three Advil with a post it note. I recognized Angela's loopy handwriting.

* * *

_Bella Baby! Don't worry about what happened with EC. You are an amazing, smart, funny, beautiful woman! Don't let bitches get you down! I love you!_

* * *

Her note left me slightly confused? What's EC? The economy? I'll have to think about that later, my brain was already suffering enough. I popped the Advil in my mouth drinking them down with half the bottle of water. Mmm. Peach Mango. My favorite, I silently thanked God for Angela.

Then it clicked. Damn it! Angela must have put me to bed. Sighing, I peeked under the covers for confirmation. I was in just my bra and underwear and there was a smiley face on my stomach drawn with red lipstick. Yep. Ang defiantly put me to bed again. And now I'm sure she has another picture of me in my skivvies. She always does this to me. Whenever I get too drunk and she has to put me to bed she takes a picture of me in my underwear, she calls it payback. She said when I get married she's going to put all the pictures in a slideshow for her Maid of Honor speech. It makes me slightly uncomfortable because I'm not entirely sure she is kidding.

I looked at my phone and I saw it was only 9:30. I should just go back to bed but I had five missed calls, four text messages and an email. I looked at the calls, three were from Mike and two were from a private number. Weird. For some reason I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, and I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with the waves of nausea running through my body.

I scrolled through my texts next. One was from Angela telling me she was sleeping over at Bens. She defiantly likes him. They were all over each other last night. I mentally reminded myself to ask her about it later. The next three were from Mike. The first was sent at 1 AM apologizing again for what happened last night. Weird. What happened last night?

The next was from 5 o'clock this morning to see if I wanted to get breakfast. Why was he up at five? And wanting to eat?

And the last text was from five minutes ago apologizing again and asking me to call him when I woke up. Weird. What the fuck happened last night?

I was racking my brain. I met Angela at the bar. We drank excessively. Called Mike and Ben to meet up with us. We danced. Then I remember crying. But what the hell was I crying about?

Whatever. I'll come back to that later. I looked at my email.

* * *

7:45 AM

From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: Interview

Hi Bella. I hope you aren't feeling too horrible this morning but judging from our conversation last night, you must not be feeling too great today. Anyway, don't worry about what happened last night; it's all water under the bridge! We've all had our moments! It's my fault; I shouldn't have called you so late last night. I'm sorry. So, in addition to apologizing, I wanted to set up an interview with you. I tried calling you several times but each time I got your voicemail, which incidentally is full by the way. So I was just wondering if you would be available to have that interview today. Email me back whenever you get this. I look forward to hearing from you.

Edward "Sexy Man" Cullen

* * *

And it all came crashing back to me.

FUCK. HOLY SHIT! How stupid am I! Oh god. I think I'm going to be sick. I ran to the bathroom and it wasn't pretty. The only thing that tastes worse than whiskey, is whiskey the second time around. I don't even remember drinking whiskey, I HATE WHISKEY. God, I must have been a mess. I'll have to apologize to Ang, Mike, Ben and Edward. I was really dreading that last apology.

Maybe I don't have to apologize to Edward. Maybe I can just ignore him and his email. I don't need to work for him, I still have my job at Clearwater's! There will be another job. I don't think I could face seeing him again. It was just way too embarrassing. How can he be so nonchalant about this? Whatever, I can't think about this right now. Actually, I refuse to think about last night and the email with Edward. I'm just going to pretend the whole thing never happened. Ok, good plan Bella!

I flushed the toilet and sat on the floor of the bathroom. I felt disgusting. I was so ashamed. I needed to shower. If only I could wash away this feeling.

I turned the shower on and stood under the water for what felt like ages. I washed my hair with my Pomegranate WEN cleansing conditioner and lathered my body up with my favorite body wash, Philosophy coconut frosting. I usually try not to use the two together because it makes me smell like a tropical drink but I let it slide for today. It took awhile to get the lipstick off my stomach. I was going to kill Angela if I managed to not die of embarrassment first.

I turned off the shower and dried myself off with a towel, wrapping it around my body. I twisted my hair up into another towel as I opened the door. I almost had a heart attack when I saw Angela standing there.

"Holy Shit Ang! You scared me half to death!"

She laughed "Well hello to you too sunshine!" a concerned looked crossed her face and she rubbed my arm "How are you feeling today?"

So I guess we were doing this now. I burst into tears "I mostly just feel embarrassed." Half laughing, half sobbing at my admission.

She pulled me into a hug "Shhh Bells. It's ok! Nobody is perfect all the time and from what Mike told me, countless times by the way, Edward was really cool about it." She wiped a tear from my cheek. "Really Bella, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. It's obvious he wants to get in your pants too!"

Maybe Angela is right. I tried to compose myself "Yeah. I don't know….." I sniffled "Oh, who am I kidding! I can't. I don't think I'm going to email him back…"Ang punched my arm.

"Ouch! What was that for? Haven't I been through enough emotionally? Now you're going to abuse me physically?"

"What! He emailed you! Oh come on Bella. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime, put your pride aside and take a chance! I refuse to take part in your pity party!" She took off towards my room "I'll email him back if you won't!"

"NO! NO! Please! Ok! You're right! I'll let you email him. But please not yet! I need to think about it. Maybe eat something first?" I was lying through my teeth but it seemed to buy me some time since Angela walked out of my bedroom sans my Iphone.

"Okay! But you're not getting out of this one Swan! Now, if you'll excuse me I need to take a shower! You go get yourself pretty because I told Mike and Ben we would get breakfast with them." She wiggled her eyebrows "Mike was really upset about what happened last night. He feels horrible. After you didn't answer his phone calls or texts I had to hide my apartment key from him! I think he's got a crush on you too!"

I groaned "Oh please. Tell him to take a number." Rolling my eyes. "Anyway! Look who's talking! You and Ben were all over each other last night!"

The blush that spread across her face was all the conformation I needed "Oh my God! You really like him huh?"

She only turned a deeper shade of red "Whatever. I need to shower!" At that, she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Well what do you know… Angela and Ben. I headed into my room grabbed a pair of hot pink underwear and a matching bra. I put on a black pair of leggings, a black sequined tank top and a light grey flannel shirt that I left unbuttoned. I brushed all the knots out my hair and started on my makeup.

I did a daytime smokey eye, put on my fake lashes, and added some foundation, bronzer and blush. I was so pale. Was it summer yet? By that time Angela was out of the shower. I quickly blew out my hair and used a flat iron to smooth out the ends. I was amazed at how much better I felt already. Never underestimate the healing power of doing your makeup.

Ang poked her head in my room "You ready?" I'll never get use to how quickly she gets ready.

"Yeah. I just need to put on my shoes!" I grabbed a pair of thigh high leather boots. They were a little over the top for daytime but they were flats and I was wearing flannel. I needed to spice the outfit up a bit. I added a pair of big, silver hoop earrings along with my Italian horn necklace and put on my coat. I grabbed my phone and my purse and met Angela by the door. She must have been on the phone with Ben because she told him we would meet them down in the lobby.

We walked towards the elevator and I broke the silence. "So, you never answered my question."

Ang pushed the button. "Ok. Yes! I like him a lot! I slept over at this apartment last night and we talked the whole night! We didn't even fool around! I mean, I wanted to, but it was nice just to be able to actually talk about our hopes and dreams" she was bouncing up and down like a child.

Whoa. Hopes and dreams? Who was this alien and what did she do with my friend? Angela was in love! "You're in love!" At that moment the elevator arrived on our floor with Ben and Mike inside. Angela looked mortified for a second, obviously wondering if they overheard my last comment.

Mike was the first to break the silence. "Bella! You're alive!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah! It was a close call though!" I looked over at Angela and Ben and they were holding hands.

"Bella, I'm really sorry about everything. Please let me make it up to you somehow! I feel terrible" God. This kid sounded like a broken record.

"Mike, really" I gave his bicep a squeeze "don't worry about! It wasn't your fault." Well it kind of was but I didn't feel like listening to him apologize all morning long.

"So" I said clapping my hands "where are we going for breakfast?"

We walked to Cafeteria in silence. Well Mike and I were silent. Angela and Ben were walking in front of us, holding hands and whispering to each other.

I hooked my arm with Mikes. "So, when did this happen?" I pointed to the two love birds with my free hand.

He laughed "Yeah. I know what you mean. I'm just surprised its taken him this long to make a move" I looked at him confused "What do you mean?"

"Well. Don't tell Ang I told you this, but he's been crushing on her since the day we met you girls in the elevator when you were moving in." Well, well, well. If thinks I'm not telling Angela this juicy bit of information, he was sorely mistaken.

By the time I finished eating, I was feeling like myself again. My hangover was gone and I wasn't nearly as embarrassed about the situation with Edward as I was this morning.

Ang took a sip of her orange juice and then looked at me "So. Are you going to email Edward back?"

Stalling for time, I took a sip of my peach mango coconut water "I mean. I guess I should. I would like to have a job where I would have a normal sleeping pattern.." Yeah. I'm sure that's all.

Angela snorted "Yeah. I'm sure you're really concerned about your sleeping." She must have read my mind. "Let me see the email he sent you."

I was nervous "Ok. I'll email him back because I do want to work for him" he's just so freaking sexy, adding silently "but will you guys please help me think of something to say to him?"

After twenty minutes and Angela and Mike having a heated argument if I should acknowledge the 'sexy man' comment, I slid my phone to Angela and covered my eyes with my hands "Just send it!"

* * *

12:12 PM  
From: Isabella Swan  
To: Edward Cullen  
Subject: Re:Interview

Hi Edward. First off, I just want to apologize for everything I said last night! It was really unprofessional of me and I want you to know that if you do end up hiring me, I can assure you, nothing like that will happen again. I hope we can both pretend that whole conversation never happened! Wait….. what was I apologizing for again? (Just kidding!) Anyway. I am free for the rest of the day, so just let me know a time that works for you!

Bella

Ps. My voicemail is no longer full! :)

* * *

"Sent!" We all sat there staring at my phone. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"Well, there's no harm in trying right?" I was looking for some words of encouragement.

"Yeah" Ben chimed in "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

"Absolutely" Mike slammed his fist down "We would still think the world was flat if Magellan didn't challenge everyone's thinking and take a risk." Hmm.. The three of us looked at Mike and started laughing hysterically.

Mike looked confused. "What's so funny guys?"

More laughter. Angela was the first one who able to speak "Mike!" She was gasping for air "That was Columbus! Not Magellan!" We all dissolved into fits of laughter.

The sound of my phone ringing silenced the four of us. We all looked at the caller ID.

"Private Number" Angela whispered. Pushing the phone towards me.

Oh shit. Well it was now or never. I swallowed "Carpe Diem right?"

I pressed answer. "H-Hello?" Just breathe Bella.

"Hi, Isabella? It's Edward. You sound much better this morning" God his voice was so sexy. I forgot how unnerving it was.

I could play this game "Why Edward, I don't believe I know what you are talking about?" I winked at Angela.

There was laughter at the other end of the line "Touché, Miss Swan." There was more laughter. His laugh was even sexier than his voice "Well I was calling to see if you would be able to meet me within the next hour? I have an audition at three, so I was hoping to squeeze your interview in before that?"

"Um, yeah! That sounds fine. I just need to run home and change quickly. Where do you want to meet?"

"Oh, am I interrupting something? If it's not a good time, we could meet later?" Was it me, or did he sound disappointed? It was probably just my mind playing tricks on me.

"No, I was just leaving breakfast with some friends" I gave them an apologetic smile since we weren't really leaving.

"Breakfast? It's after noon? Don't you mean eating lunch?" his playful tone was back. God, it was sexy.

"ha-ha. Late night, remember?"

"Why Miss Swan, I don't know what you mean"

I was giggling like a thirteen year old girl.

"Well. Don't worry about changing; you don't need to dress up for this interview. Working as my PA you would just dress in your everyday clothing anyway" Hmm.. it sounds like he already made up his mind about hiring me without the interview. He must have noticed the slip because he added "if I decide to hire you."

"Ok, whatever you say _Mr. Cullen_. So where should I meet you?"

He was silent for a moment "Well my apartment building has a conference room, so we can conduct your interview there, the address 180 West 20th street. Do you need me to email you subway directions?" He sounded strictly business.

"I got it. I'll just take the one train. I'll see you in thirty minutes." I was silently thanking God Charlie made me study the train routes for the subway.

"Ok. I'll meet you outside my building. See you soon, Miss Swan" Damn. The way he called Miss Swan made my panties wet.

"Bye" I hung up the phone, finally noticing that three pairs of eyes were staring at me, mouths gaping.

I put on my best confused expression "What?" I knew exactly why they were looking at me like that, I'm not stupid. I was _totally _flirting with Edward but I wasn't going to admit that to them.

Mike poked my side "You were totally flirting with him!" he batted his eye lashes and cupped his chin in his hand "Oh, _Mr. Cullen_" he tried to imitate my voice.

Feigning mock horror! "That sounds nothing like me!"

We all burst in to giggles. "So where are you meeting with him?" Angela was in full interrogation mode.

"Uh.. um. His apartment building has a conference room, so were meeting there" I tried to ignore the blush that was creeping up my cheeks.

The boys high fived and let out whopping noises "Hot damn Bells! You're going to Edward Cullen's apartment!" Angela was practically screaming! "Oh my God! Ok! You need to leave now! You don't want to keep _Mr. Cullen_" she winked at me "waiting!"

I rolled my eyes and stood up to put on my jacket "You guys are ridiculous! It's just an interview!" Even I didn't believe what I was saying. Somehow it felt like it was so much more than just an interview. I put my phone in my pocket, grabbed my bag and my coconut water. "I'll see you guys later!" I blew them all kisses and walked out the door.

I was a nervous wreck the entire subway ride to Edward's apartment. By the time I was walking out of the subway, I was giving myself a silent pep talk. You can do this Bella! Just be yourself!

I chose to abandon my usual mantra, I figured after the disaster that was yesterday, it was bad luck.

I was looking around as I was walking. This was a really nice neighborhood. Very hipster chic. I suddenly felt like a three dollar hooker in my thigh highs. I was too busy people watching, that I almost walked straight into Edward.

He grabbed me by the shoulders "Hey! You should really watch were you're walking, stranger!" he gave me a lopsided grin.

Holy fuck that was hot! "U-uh. Sorry! You live in a really nice neighborhood. Is this Chelsea?"

He motioned for me to follow him, nodding at a door man who held a large glass door open for us. It looked really heavy. He must have big muscles. "Nah, I live in Gramercy."

We walked into the lobby of his apartment building and I was speechless. The floor was all marble and it had a very sexy, sleek, modern design. Throughout the entire lobby, large glass ball lighting fixtures dangled from the ceiling from varying heights.

"Wow. This is a really nice building." Pausing to look around "It's gorgeous." To my left, there were three men dressed in expensive looking suits behind a long counter than ran the length of the lobby and to my right were several oversized black chairs overlooking a fire place. We walked straight back, past a set of elevators and turned a corner.

"Thanks" He held a door open and motioned his arm for me to walk in. I was puzzled to see a large, very muscular man sitting at the table. He kind of looked like Edward but instead of copper hair he had short curly black hair.

He must have sensed my confusion because he stood and held out his hand for me to shake it. He was also foot taller and probably a hundred pounds heavier than Edward too. Seriously, he looked like he could snap Vin Diesel like a twig.

I was scared he was going to crush my hand in his, he was so large. But not wanting to seem rude, I reluctantly placed my hand in his.

I was surprised at how gentle he shook my hand. "Pleasure to meet you Miss Swan, I'm Emmett Cullen. Edward's manager/security." Edward was walking over to the other side of the table were Emmett was standing.

I took my hand from Emmett's and pointed my finger back and forth between the two of them "Are you two brothers?" I instinctively started fiddling with my hair.

The both laughed "Yeah" Emmett said "as you can tell, I got all the looks!" He gave me a megawatt smile. I don't know what it was but I instantly liked the guy.

Edward gestured for me to sit. I set my water on the table, I put my Birkin down in an empty chair and took off my coat, hanging it off the back. This process felt like it took ages and I was suddenly extremely self conscious of the outfit I was wearing. I glanced at Emmett and noticed he was staring at my chest, his mouth open and shaped like a perfect O. I looked down to see my tank top had fell down a bit, totally exposing the top half of my boobs and my lacy hot pink bra. Lovely.

I felt my face grow hot and I hastily pulled up my sequined tank "Um. Sorry. I didn't plan that, I swear! I honestly think they have a mind of their own!" Oh god. Did I really say that out loud? Mortified, I turned to look Edward.

He had the palm of hand resting on his chin, obviously trying to cover his smile with his fingers and his eyes weren't the usual sparkling green, they looked dark, almost lustful. Damn, he has long fingers. I couldn't help my mind from wandering… of thinking about his long fingers stroking my pussy…

Ok, Swan! Get your mind out of the gutter! I cleared my throat "So, um…" I didn't know what to say so I took a sip of my coconut water and started fidgeting with my hair. Shit I should have tied it back into a ponytail.

Emmett clapped his hands, rubbing them together "Well, I think pink is my new favorite color, what do you say Eddie?

I nearly spit out my water. "Sorry" I muttered.

Edward looked embarrassed. Throwing side eye at Emmett "Sorry Bella, ignore him, he seems to have forgotten his manners."

Emmett made no effort to apologize. I liked him even more. I was trying to gage how old he was and I figured he had to be around Rosalie's age, possibly early thirties? Hey, maybe I could set them up. He could probably get the stick out of her ass.

Edwards's voice snapped me back to reality "So Bella. Have you ever been a personal assistant before?"

Didn't I give this guy my resume? Did he even bother to read it? "Umm.. no?" My answer came out as more of a question.

Edward seemed to ignore it "Well, as my PA, you would be required to do all these things on this list" he passed me a sheet of paper.

* * *

Duties of PA:

- Personal Shopping (Grocery, buying gifts, ect)  
- Managing fan mail  
- Organizing travel arrangements  
- Preparing meals (occasional dinner)  
- Running personal and work related errands  
- Managing my schedule  
- Booking appointments  
- Occasional accompaniment on work related travel

* * *

This didn't seem bad at all. Especially the traveling with Edward part. I pictured us in Hawaii, rubbing suntan lotion all over his body… skinny dipping together in the ocean… rubbing my naked body against him… rubbing his rock hard cock against my clit… his hands squeezing my ass… then fondling my breasts… those fingers pinching and pulling at my nipples…. Moaning his name in his ear….

I must have been zoning out a while because Edward cleared his throat.

"Oh Sorry. Yeah. This doesn't sound too bad" It doesn't sound bad at all; it sounds like heaven, actually.

Edward looked concerned "So, you don't mind doing any of these things on the list? There may be other things I need for you to do that aren't on the list, but these are the main tasks I will need you to perform.."

Oh, honey, if you only knew the things I wanted to perform on you.

Looking straight in Edwards eyes "I don't mind performing _any_ of these tasks and I'm sure I'll _gladly _perform the others as well." Giving him a sexy smile.

It was Emmett's half moan half grunting sound, which he then proceeded to try to pass off as a coughing fit that snapped me out of my sexual daze. Shit. Maybe I wasn't as subtle as I thought.

Edward's eyes grew darker. "Good to know, _Miss Swan."_ A chill ran through my body.

"Also, you should know that the hours you work might be somewhat irregular but I would expect you to come into work at 10, Monday through Friday" He gave me that sexy smile "with my morning coffee. I'm not going to give you a concrete time as to when your day will end because it will be contingent on my schedule and how many tasks you have for the day. And you most likely will have to work some weekends. Is all of that clear?" His facial expression almost looked, what was it? Hopeful?

Seriously. Could this job get any better? I didn't have to show up to work until 10 and I would be basing the rest of my day around him. I broke out into a huge smile. "Crystal."

"Well than Miss Swan, you're hired." He gave me his sexy lop sided grin.

"Ahhhhhhh! Really! Oh thank you! I swear you won't regret it!" I jumped up from my seat and ran around the table to hug Edward. "Oh. Um. Sorry. That was probably inappropriate." Realizing my mistake a little too late. Whatever, pressing my body against him felt amazing.

"U-uh. Don't worry about it" He looked uncomfortable. Shit. Maybe I totally misread all his signs. Well. It's a little too late for that.

I took this as an opportunity to look at Emmett. He was looking at Edward in a way that I couldn't quite figure out what it meant. Hmmm…

Emmett looked down at me and scooped me up into a big hug, literally lifting me off the ground "Welcome to the family Bella! I look forward to getting to know you better, and if you don't mind me being so forward, I think we will get along just great" He set me back down. "By the way, I love the boots. They're h-o-t." tracing a finger along the tops of my boots, never touching my thigh.

I couldn't help but giggle like a school girl. Again.

"Emmett, I don't think it's appropriate for you to be fondling my PA" Edwards's tone was menacing. Whoa. What got his panties in a twist?

Trying to break the tension that suddenly filled the room, I turned back to Edward, "So. When do I start?"

Edward looked at me and smiled "Can you start tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll see you at ten! How do you take your coffee?" I walked over to where my coat was.

He stifeled a laugh. "Miss Swan, aren't you forgetting one of the most important parts?"

Huh? What was he talking about? "Umm.. I'm not sure what you're talking about?" There's that sexy smile again.

"Aren't you concerned about what I'll be paying you?" Oh. Yeah. Shit. I was just so excited to spend time with Edward, I would have been his PA for free. Not that I would tell him that.

I slapped the palm of my hand to my forehead "Oh duh! Silly me!"

He shook his head "How does sixty-five thousand work for you?" I tried to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.

"U-uhh. Sixty-five thousand?" I croaked

"Ok, seventy thousand, do we have a deal?" Whoa, I felt kind of guilty that he misunderstood me but I wasn't about to correct him. Holy shit. I was going to be making seventy thousand dollars running someone's errands. Could life get any better?

I nodded my head in agreement. "Deal."

Edward held out his hand for me to shake it. Touching him felt like I was being electrocuted. But not in a painful way, it made my whole body tingle with desire. I looked at him and his eyes were wide, he must have felt it too.

I reluctantly pulled my hand from his grasp and put on my jacket, grabbed my purse and my drink. Edward was already holding the door open for me.

As I was walking out the door I turned to him "Just so you know, I would have did it for sixty-five" flipping my long hair over my shoulder and giving him what I hoped was a sexy smile, I turned and started walking away "Email me how you take your coffee!"

If I wasn't mistaken I heard Emmett's booming laugh.

Walking out of Edwards building and back to SoHo, I felt great! I called my mom, Renee, and told her the good news. She was thrilled for me! I quickly hung up with her and sent out a mass text to Angela, Ben and Mike.

I GOT THE JOB! AHHHHHHHH! LOVE YOU GUYS THANKS 4 UR HELP! XOXO B

Angela called me back almost instantly. "Hi!" I practically screamed!

"Bella! I knew you could do it! When do you start?"

"He wants me to start tomorrow. Do you think Sam will be pissed I'm not giving him much notice?" I totally forgot all about Sam while I was talking to Edward. I was feeling extremely guilty.

"B, that's freaking awesome! He totally wants you! Don't worry about Sam, I'll cover your shifts! We are totally celebrating tonight!" uh oh. I don't think my liver could handle any more drinking.

"Um.. Ang, I'm not sure that's such a good idea, I don't want to be hung over for my first day of work…"

I heard laughter on the other end of the line. "I didn't mean drinking silly! We're having an old fashion girl's night! We'll rent some movies Edward is in on Netflix, and we can do hair masks and face masks and paint our nails! AND ORDER PIZZA! It will be totally PG- 13! I'm going to run to Duane Reade now and get all the stuff!"

I was really excited "Ok! Awesome! I'll stop at the corner store and pick up some candy and popcorn! I'll be back at the apartment in an hour and a half!" Maybe I'd stop at the liquor store and get some Champaign, just one bottle. I was celebrating after all.

"Sounds good babe!"

"Perfect. Ciao boo!" I ended the call and looked at my text messages. I had one from Mike and Ben.

I Knew Mr. Cullen wouldn't be immune to your sex appeal! I'm proud of you babe!

Mike's text made me slightly uncomfortable. Whatever. I read the one from Ben next:

Go girl! First step PA, next world domination!

I couldn't help but laugh. As I was looking at his text, my phone started ringing. It was Rosalie. Oh good. I couldn't wait to tell her my good news!

I pressed answer and lifted the phone to my ear "Hi Rose. Still pissed at me?"

She sighed "Hello to you too, Bella!" She sounded normal "What are you talking about, I wasn't pissed at you" Typical, I thought. "Anyway, I just heard from my mom who talked to Aunt Ren. Congrats on the job! Who was it you are working for, she said Edward Collier? Who is that?"

I laughed. I knew my mom wouldn't know who Edward Cullen was and I wasn't the least bit surprised she couldn't even get his name right. She was somewhat of an air head. But I was instantly thankful for her ditzy personality because now I got to be the one who was going to tell Rosalie about Edward Cullen. She was going to freak! I know for a fact she has a MAJOR crush on him. Who doesn't?

I laughed "Leave it to Renee. I'm not working for Edward Collier, I'm working for Edward Cullen. You know, the actor?"

The line was silent. Perfect. I knew she was silently stewing. "Rose, are you still there? Can you hear me?" HAHA it's like rubbing salt in her wounded ego.

"Um. Yeah. I'm still here" silence "Bella, you can't work for him… I heard he is a complete asshole." There it was. Who possibly could have told her that? She is such a bitch.

I tried to keep my tone even. "Ok, _hater_. He seems like a really nice guy" The line was silent. "But hey, I'm about to go into the subway, so I'll talk to you later" it was a total lie but I didn't feel like talking to her anymore. She was like a black hole sucking out all my happiness! I can't believe I actually thought about setting her up with Emmett. Forget that! I'm not doing this bitch any favors.

"Wait, Bella!" she sounded frantic "I'm sorry, that was really rude of me. It's just… Gosh…how do I say this without sounding like a bitch?" there was a pause.

This was new, Rose never worried about sounding like a bitch. "Celebrities...Well, they're narcissistic and they think they're better than an average person…" I couldn't help but smile because it sounded like she was talking about herself. I tried not to take her last comment as a dig because she was _trying_ to be nice. This was so odd.

"And..." the words left her in a rush "why would he hire you? You have no experience. How did you even meet him? Just please, be careful, with Edward, ok?" What the hell was she talking about? Be careful with what? Then it clicked.

She was using her typical mind games on me. She was trying to make me feel like I wasn't good enough to have this job, like I didn't deserve it. This was so typical of her! She always has to put me down! Why does she have to do this to me? Why can't she just support me for once in her life?

I didn't really want to get into this right now. I was starting to get really mad and upset. You think after 23 years with Rosalie I would be immune to her mind games, but it still hurt.

I just needed to get off the phone with her. "Ok. I will. I'll talk to you later, love you" I hung up my phone and put it back in my bag. I was fighting back tears the entire way back to Soho.

I stopped into the corner market at the end of our block. I was so upset I bought a bag a Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, gummy bears, sour gummy worms, candy necklaces, chewy runts, Reese's peanut butter cups and Jelly Belly's. Then, I got a pack of double stuff Oreo's, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, a box of gushers and a box of fruit by the foot. As I stood in the checkout line, a few tears slipped down my cheek and as the woman was ringing up my items she gave me a knowing look.

She stopped before she put the Oreo's in a bag and said to me "Don't worry baby girl, things will get better."

"Thanks." I gave her a small smile. Truthfully, this woman pitying me only made me feel more pathetic about my life.

She continued ringing up the items and the grand total came to $46.98. I sighed, dug through my purse and found my wallet. I pulled out my credit card that was for 'emergences only', Charlie's only stipulation about me getting a credit card. I would say this defiantly classified as an emergency, so I swiped my card in the machine and signed my name on the line.

I walked out of the store with my two bags in hand and since I was on a downward spiral, I decided I would go to the liquor store after all. I needed something to wash all that candy down. I walked in and grabbed a bottle of Moet off the shelf. I had never bought it before but I figured since I was making seventy grand, I could afford a $40 dollar bottle of Champagne. I also decided to buy a bottle of Limoncello. Go big or go home. I put another $60 dollars on my credit card. Sorry Charlie.

Walking back to the apartment I lit a cigarette to calm my nerves. I was leaning against my building, near the door, I took a long drag as I looked down the street. I was pleasantly surprised to see a really cute guy walking towards me.

He was really tall, like over six feet, and he had dark hair that was buzzed short, his skin was olive toned and he was also totally jacked. He was wearing a blue Giants sweatshirt and black sweatpants, with a gym bag slung over his shoulder. Totally sexy. Who was this guy?

He walked up to me and said "Hey, didn't you hear those things can kill you?" he smiled to reveal a set of perfectly white teeth, they looked like Chiclets.

I prayed to God I didn't look like I had been crying "Really? That's such an interesting story…" Whoa, killer. No need to be a bitch, he was just trying to be nice. Get a grip Swan.

He looked a little offended. I instantly started to backtrack "God, I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I've just been having a really bad day" I threw the cigarette on the ground and smashed it into the sidewalk with the toe of my boot. "Hence, the cigarette." I smiled up at him.

He let out a throaty laugh "Hey, it's ok; we all have our vices… Mine just happens to be Whiskey. Jack Daniel's to be exact."

It was my turn to laugh. And I held up the bags of candy and alcohol "Yeah, I guess I should confess.. I also like junk food and any alcohol, really, I don't discriminate."

His eyes grew wide when he saw the bags "You mean, are those bags" he was shaking his head laughing "they're full of junk food?"

I know I should have been ashamed but I wasn't "Candy specifically" I was laughing "Bad day remember?"

It was silent for a minute, but it wasn't uncomfortable "I'm Jake by the way." He stuck out his hand to shake mine but then he remembered my hands were full and kind did this weird thing where he patted the top of my head. Normally this would annoy me but coming from Jake, I found it charming.

I gave him a smile "Well it's nice to meet you Jake, I'm Bella." I was starting to get cold from just standing out here and I let out an involuntary shiver.

Jake must have noticed "I'm sorry, you must be freezing, I'll let you get inside." He paused and I realized I didn't want him to walk away just yet "it was very nice to meet you Bella," He started walking away from me backwards "maybe I'll see you around some time?" He gave me another one of those sexy smiles.

I went to open the door to my apartment building, Giving him what I hope was my sexiest smile, "Yeah… Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later" and with that I strutted into the building.

I walked into the apartment and Angela was laying down on one of our worn, brown leather couches, covered in a fuzzy yellow blanket. She jumped up when she saw me "Finally! You're back!" I must have had a dopey look on my face because she looked at me funny "Why do you look like that?" I shrugged.

Without taking off my jacket I put the bag of liquor on the kitchen counter and walked over towards the coffee table and dumped out the bags of junk food. We both just stood there staring at the table.

I was the first to break the silence "Well. It didn't look like that much when I was in the store."

Angela laughed "What the hell, Bells? Why did you buy the entire candy isle?" Her face looked concerned "Not that I'm complaining but… this" she waved her hands over the pile of candy "looks more like a pity party than a celebration."

Before I answered her question, I took my jacket off and walked back over to where I set the liquor down. I pulled the bottles out of the bag; I grabbed two Champaign glasses out of the cabinet and returned to the living room. I set the glasses down "Well, Rosalie happened. I don't want to get into details but it went along the lines of 'Why would Edward Cullen hire you, you're inadequate, blah, blah, blah, I hate Bella.' You know, the usual" I opened the Limoncello and poured a shot's worth in each glass and passed one over to Angela.

She took the glass from me, "Bella, I'm so sorry. Don't let Rosalie get to you, you know she's just a jealous bitch. You had such a great day; we should be celebrating because you _did_ deserve that job, regardless of what the ice queen thinks!" She held her glass up to make a toast.

The rest of the night went smoothly. Angela had my back and cut me off before I was able to get too drunk. We put on hair masks and face masks and painted our nails. We ate so much candy that we never even thought to order pizza. At midnight I decided to call it a night.

I was getting sentimental. "Ang. Thank you. For everything... You just get me." Maybe I was a little drunk.

Angela was laughing at me "Anything for you baby! You really are my sister!" She pulled me into a big hug. She pulled away and held me by the shoulders "Now shoo! You can't oversleep on your first day of work!" She spun me around and pushed me towards my room. I discarded my clothes and didn't even bother putting pajamas on. I just slept in my under ware. I guess it was a drunken thing. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.


	4. Chapter 4

*** ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

**** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This is USE TO BE Chapter 7 & 8!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

"_Come on baby, I want you to fuck me, so hard" I was laying on the bed propped up on my elbows._

_A low growl came from him and he pounced on me. He literally ripped my pink dress off of my body. And judging from his hard dick poking against my leg, he was pleased that I was completely naked underneath. And completely bare on the bottom._

"_MMMM baby, let me get these clothes off of you" I started unbuttoning his shirt as he started rubbing my breasts in slow, firm, circular motions "mmmm. Baby. That feels soooo good"_

_I pushed his shirt off his shoulders. I then started rubbing his dick through his pants. "Now, it's time to get these pants off you" I started to take off his belt and I felt strong hands grab my wrists._

"_No. I'll do it." He was straddling me on the bed, he was on his knees "Touch yourself while I take my pants off" I sucked in a breath of air and starting from my shoulders, I slowly ran my hands down my chest, pausing to knead my breast and tug at my hard nipples. I let out a moan because I knew it would drive him crazy._

_Just as I knew it would, he groaned and quickly undid his belt, unbuttoned his pants and pulled down his zipper._

_I was now slowly running my hands down my stomach, and looking him in the eye,I ran a finger down to my wet pussy, stroking my clit. "MMM. Baby, I'm so wet for you" I was rubbing my clit in slow circles "do you want a taste?" I took my finger and ran it across his bottom lip, then stuck it in his mouth, letting him suck the juices off._

_I sat up and ran my tongue across his bottom lip. He moaned and shoved me down on the bed, then within the blink of an eye, his pants and boxers were off. His dick was huge. And hard._

_He was hovering above me, I spread my legs beneath him and wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer to me. He shifted his hips back ready to thrust his thick, hard cock into me…_

* * *

And then I woke up. I was panting and sweating. I sat up and looked at my alarm clock it was 7:43. Damn. I had seventeen minutes until my alarm was set to go off. I fell back onto my bed. Shit. That was so hot. There was a dull pulsing below my belly button. I ran my hands down my body and my underwear was soaked. Mmmm.

Well. I haven't had a sex dream that good in forever. Let alone a sex dream about my hot boss! Whew. I figured I wasn't going to fall back asleep so I threw the covers off and walked to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee.

Instead of waiting for it to brew, I decided I should attend to the pulsing in my panties. I walked to the bathroom and turned the shower on. I stripped off my bra and underwear and stepped under the stream of hot water. I let my mind sink back into my dream. Edward and I were defiantly about to have sex. And I wanted it _so_ bad. I thought about his thick, huge cock and wondered if my dream did him any justice. I ran my hands over my breasts, rolling my nipples between my thumb and pointer finger. I was thinking about Edward rubbing his hard cock.

I had gotten waxed the other week, and I wondered if Edward likes his women bare. I put my head against the shower wall and let my hands wander down to my pussy… I pretended my hands were Edward's hands. I started rubbing my clit in slow circular motions, gently picking up the pace until I was breathing heavy and then I was rubbing my clit, vigorously, back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

I let out a silent scream, as my orgasm shook my whole body. I lightly rubbed my clit a little more until my body stopped pulsing. Holy shit. Mmmm. I felt relaxed. I probably shouldn't have been fantasizing about my boss but I haven't had sex in two weeks and that was just a one night stand. The guy lasted a whole five minutes. It wasn't even worth it.

I remembered I had to get to work today and started to lather my hair with WEN, I quickly shaved my legs and armpits… I reached for my coconut frosting body wash and rubbed the wash between my hands until it got all sudsy. I figured the combination of the two products was good luck, because I used them together yesterday when Edward hired me. I quickly washed my body, rinsing off all the suds and rinsing the conditioner from my hair. I scrubbed my face with my Purity face wash and stood under the hot water for a minute longer.

I reluctantly turned off the water, I stepped off the shower and dried my body off with a towel, wrapping my hair into another towel.

I opened the bathroom door and was bombarded by the smell of coffee. I practically ran to the kitchen, pouring myself a large cup, adding cream and two packets of Truvia. I walked back to my bedroom, taking a big sip, silently cursing the hot drink. I set the cup down on my nightstand and dropped my towel.

I put on a pair of black lace boy shorts and a satin black bra. I grabbed a pair of black jeggings and put them on. I was still kind of hot from my shower so I didn't bother putting a shirt on.

I looked at the clock. It was 8:30, damn, I didn't realize I was in the shower that long. I plugged in a set of hot rollers and my blow dryer, letting the rollers heat up while I blew out my hair. I quickly wrapped my hair up in the rollers and started on my makeup.

I opted for the daytime Smokey eye again, using blacks and grays, I put on my fake lashes, added some foundation, bronzer and blush. I looked at the clock it was 9:06. If I was going to make it to Edwards by ten I needed to hurry. I quickly rifled through my closet looking for a shirt to wear.

I decided to wear a semi sheer, pewter, button up leopard print blouse. I looked in the mirror and decided it was acceptable to wear because you could only barely make out my black bra underneath. I put on my diamond studs and a long black, multi chain necklace. I quickly pulled the rollers out, running my fingers through my hair a couple times to relax the curls. Deciding it was just enough curl, I sprayed it with a copious amount of hair spray.

I threw on a pair of black ballet flats, put on my black wool trench coat and grabbed my cell phone from my nightstand. I looked at the time and it was 9:20. I took one last gulp of my coffee, grabbed my Birkin and ran out the door.

I noticed I had an email from Edward.

* * *

8:03 AM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: Coffee

Good morning Bella! I hope you slept well last night. I was just writing you to tell you that I'll take a Venti coffee with soymilk and agave from Starbucks. Since you conned me into paying you more money, I'll let you pay for the coffee this time. See you at ten. Don't be late! I'll meet you down in the lobby to get your security pass from Raul.

Edward Cullen (Your boss)

* * *

I walked out into the street and couldn't help but blush when I noticed the time Edward emailed me. It was probably around the same time I was fantasizing about him in the shower. It felt good to know he was thinking about me then too, even if it was just about getting a coffee. I skipped down the steps in the subway, slid my Metrocard though the gate and waited for the one train.

By 9:45 I was leaving the subway practically running to Starbucks. I remembered seeing one about a block away from his building. I hastily opened the door and thanked baby Jesus that there wasn't a line. I think that was a first; there was _always_ a line at Starbucks. I ordered Edwards coffee and I got myself a tea, paying with my debit card.

I got our drinks and ran to Edwards building. I saw the same doorman that was there yesterday, he opened the door, greeting me "Good morning, Miss!" giving me a cheerful smile.

Damn, why didn't my building have a doorman? I decided then that my next apartment would defiantly have a doorman. I smiled at him and walked into the building. I spotted Edward looking at his phone sitting in one of the oversized chairs. I walked towards him, thinking about the dream I had last night.

"Did I make it on time?" I must have startled him because his head whipped up. He gave me that sexy lopsided smile.

"Why Miss Swan, it's ten o'clock on the dot!" he took his coffee from me. "Thanks for my coffee." He stood up and gestured for me to follow him over to the long counter.

One of the suited men greeted him "Good morning Mr. Cullen. Is this your Personal Assistant?" I was silently wishing he replaced 'personal assistant' with girlfriend. Geese, one sex dream about Edward and I was already making him my boyfriend.

Edward nodded, "Isabella Swan" he pointed his hand at me and then to Mr. Fancy Pants "this is Raul, the head Concierge of Gramercy Place, he is going to set you up with the security badge that you will need to enter the building." What? I needed a security badge to get into the building? This guy's suit wasn't the only thing fancy about this place.

"Hi, nice to meet you." I didn't know what else to say to this guy.

Raul didn't respond to me, instead he grabbed a digital camera from behind the counter.

"Now, Miss Swan, if you would please stand against this wall" pointing to the wall opposite us "so I can take your picture for your pass." Well, if he thinks he's going to take my picture without checking myself out first, he was mistaken.

"Wait!" I placed my tea and bag on the counter and started to take off my coat, handing it to Edward. I started digging through my purse until I found what I was looking for. I pulled out the mirror, checking out my reflection. I puckered my lips and check out my hair. I put the mirror down, fluffed up my hair and grabbed the mirror again. "Ok! I'm ready!"

I looked to Edward and he was shaking his head and smiling at me. "What? You can't expect me to take a picture without knowing what I look like!" I flipped my hair over my shoulder and walked over to the wall.

I gave my best smile and Raul took a picture. I stepped towards him "Can I see that?"

Raul looked annoyed but showed me the picture anyway. I gasped. Ew. That was not good.

"Oh no! That is not cute! Let me take another." I looked over at Edward and he looked so cute standing there holding my coat, watching me. I fluffed up my hair again turned to Raul and smiled.

Raul took the picture and passed me the camera. "Ok! That one is good!" I smiled up at him!

He looked relieved "Ok. I will just need to see your driver's license and I will be back in a minute with your security pass" I walked over to my purse, grabbed my wallet and handed Raul my license. I put all the stuff back into my bag, grabbed my tea and walked over to Edward to take my coat.

He handed me my jacket "Well Miss Swan, if you don't work out as a PA, I'm sure you could have a bright future in modeling" There was that sexy smile again.

I bumped him with my hip. "Oh, please!" We stood there in comfortable silence waiting for Raul.

We made our way to the elevators as I was looking at my pass "Ugh! The picture looked so much better on the camera. And now I look deformed on this pass!" I was really upset with how horrible this turned out.

Edward just laughed at me "Here, Let me see it" he made a grab for my pass but I quickly tucked it into my back pocket "Oh no you don't! No one is going to see this pass unless they absolutely have to!" I know I was being immature but I really didn't like looking horrible in pictures.

The elevator arrived and we stepped in. "So Miss Swan, take note, I live on the 23rd floor" The doors closed and he pressed a button labeled 'PH' on the elevator, holding up his security pass to a plastic bar above the buttons, a light turned green and the elevator began to go up. "You will need your security pass to get into the building as well as my apartment. The elevator won't go to the penthouse without it, so it is very important that you remember to bring it with you every time you leave. The concierge guys get pissy when they have to let someone up."

Well. I was almost positive this was some high tech spaceship, not just an elevator. "Oh Ok!" I squeaked.

The elevator doors opened to the most beautiful apartment I have ever seen in my life. It looked like it should be in a magazine. It was completely open concept. The floor was a dark hardwood and the walls and furniture were done in different shades of grays with black and white accents. It was extremely sexy. Two of the walls were floor to ceiling glass, showing a great view of the city. We stepped off the elevators and Edward broke the silence "Well, let me give you the tour." He took my coat and bag from me and threw them over a chair by the elevator. I was a little annoyed at how roughly he treated my Birkin.

He walked to his left "This the kitchen, it's a state of the art, so you should have everything you need when you do cook" he ran his hand over the breakfast bar walking straight back, gesturing with his hands "This is the dining room" and then he walked across the room, with me at his heels like a little puppy dog "This is the living room" he kept walking, never stopping in one room. He walked down a hallway pointing to the first door on the left "This is the bathroom" he kept walking pointing to the door on the right "this is a guest bedroom".

He turned around to see if I was still following him, I smiled and he pointing to the left again "this is my office" he pointed to set of stairs "these will take you to the roof, I'll show you sometime when it's not so cold out" and then he stopped abruptly, I almost walked right into him and he pointed to a room straight in front of him, "and that is my bedroom" mmm. I wanted to drag him into his bedroom and pick up where my dream left off.

I was staring at his bedroom door when he waved a hand in front of my face "hello…earth to Bella?"

Whoops. He caught me "Err.. sorry!" I shook my head and smiled at him.

He just laughed. "Ok follow me, I have some other things for you" We walked back out to the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar. There were various credit cards, keys and papers sitting on the table. There was also a Louis Vuitton day planner. It made my heart swell, this was better than Christmas!

He started with the Louis. "This is your new day planner. I don't trust technology, so I want you to keep all my appointments, meetings, EVERYTHING, in this planner. Every Friday you are to put the appointments for the following week into my cell phone." Hmm… I get access to his cell phone. I would defiantly be snooping on that later. He handed me the planner.

I was too excited to speak so I just nodded.

He grabbed a black credit card off the counter "This is the credit card you will use to pay for the various things I need you to get, my coffee, dry cleaning, groceries… you get the picture" he handed me the card and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. He was giving me an AmEx black card!

"Before you get too excited, you will need to keep the receipts for everything you purchase with this card. You will give me the receipts the last day of each month in an envelope with the month written across the front, so I can give it to my accountant. It will be closely monitored so don't think you can go buy yourself a new wardrobe" He placed the card in my palm. I was still speechless so I just nodded at him.

The next card he gave me was an EasyPay metro card with my photo on it "Um. How did you get a picture of me?"

He smiled. "It was your DMV photo, I hope you don't mind but I was in a bit of a hurry. Seeing how you react to getting your picture taken, I'm glad I did it" I rolled my eyes at him.

He smiled and kept on talking. "This EasyPay card is hooked up to the AmEx card. Don't lose it. You are only to use it on your way to and from work as well as on work related errands."

"You got it" I smiled at him.

He picked up the last item; it was an index card that had a key taped to it. "This is for my PO-Box; the address is on here, it's where all my fan mail gets delivered to. Twice a week you will need to go to my PO-Box and get the mail. Then, this is completely up to you; you are to send autographed pictures of myself, which I will show you where they are later, to the different fans who write me".

Aww. That was really sweet of him. Granted these poor girls thought that he was personally sending them autographed pictures instead of his non-celebrity PA, but it was the thought that counts.

"That is really nice of you Edward." He looked at me and waved it off like it was no big deal.

He passed me the index card and pushed a piece of paper towards me. He looked uncomfortable. Uh oh. What did I do? He spoke softly "Now, I don't want you to take this as an attack against your character" he cleared his throat "because I don't believe I will need to worry about you running to the tabloids, but I need you to look over and sign this Nondisclosure agreement" What the hell is that?

I was confused "What is it?"Well I knew what it was but was he some kind of freak? Was I going to see things that were juicy enough for me to want to sell the story to a tabloid? I wondered what kind of kinky shit he was into.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, its pretty standard in the world of PA's. It's just for my protection from the media.

Ok Whatever. I took the pen that was sitting on the counter and signed the paper. I smiled up at him.

He clapped his hands together "Well, now that _that's _out of the way, I just need you to sign this paper" pushing another paper towards me " it's just an agreement to sell your soul to the Devil."

"Umm... this isn't..." his laughter cut me off before I could finish.

"I'm just kidding! It's just your address and bank account information so I can pay you. Does direct deposit work ok for you?" I nodded. That was weird.

I was a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff. But I was really excited. I finished filling out the paper and handed it to him. I opened my planner to check out if anything was in there, but it was empty. I saw that the inside cover had several credit card sleeves, so I tucked my black card and my metrocard in the little pockets. I grabbed my security pass from my back pocket and tucked it in there too. I put the PO-Box key with the index card into another pocket of the planner.

I looked up at Edward to see that he was watching me closely. I was kind of uncomfortable. "So... What do I do now?" he looked at the clock on the wall, and I followed his gaze, it was 12:30.

He gave me his signature sexy smile "Now, we go get lunch!"

Thank god! I was starving!

We walked into Da Silvano at one o'clock and even though the restaurant was packed with people waiting, we were seated at a table right away. I guess it pays to be a hot shot celebrity.

I took off my jacket and handed it to the Maître D, I sat down at the table and all of a sudden was very nervous to be here with Edward. It felt like we were on a date or something. I needed a drink ASAP to calm my nerves.

A waiter approached our table and asked if we wanted anything to drink.

"What do you think? Should we get a bottle of wine?" My thoughts exactly.

My face must have lit up like a Christmas tree because Edward just smiled "White or Red?"

"Whatever, I like both, specifically Cabernet and Pinot Grigio but I'll drink anything" It wasn't a lie. I'm not picky with my alcohol.

Edward asked the waiter for a bottle of Cabernet. I smiled at him and looked down at my menu.

He spoke up "I hope you like Italian, I'm sorry I didn't even think to ask you where you wanted to go.." Please! Do I like Italian? Is the Pope Catholic? I wanted to shake him and say I'm from New Jersey and I'm 100% Italian, it's the only kind of food I eat!

I laughed and was about to tell him what's up when the waiter arrived with our wine, uncorked it and poured a little in Edward's glass. He tasted it, nodding at the waiter. He poured some in each of our glasses, leaving the bottle on the table.

Edward held his glass up; ahem "I would just like to make a toast, to the start of a wonderful business relationship." If only he left the word business out.

I clinked my glass to his, looking him straight in the eye. I didn't want seven years of bad sex. "Cheers!"

We silently looked over our menus. And when our waiter arrived Edward ordered the Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese and I ordered the Penne Puttanesca. I couldn't help but giggle over the fact I was ordering Slutty Penne. The waiter looked at me quizzically and said "tale sporca la pasta per una donna così bella" in perfect Italian.

I was suddenly thankful for my Grandparents only speaking Italian. I smiled and said "non c'è nulla di sbagliato diventando un po 'sporca" and gave him a wink. Edward's head snapped up.

The waiter looked at Edward and gave him a nod of what I took as admiration, grabbed our menus and left.

I picked up my glass of wine and took a sip, looking at Edward. He was looking at me like I was an alien.

"What?" I said.

He just smiled at me "So, do you speak any other langauges Miss Swan?" he took a sip of his wine.

I laughed. "No, only Italian. Both my paternal and maternal grandparents are straight off the boat and my mother spoke Itailan as her first langange... So she taught me Italian and English when I was growing up."

"Well, I guess it is true what they say. You learn something new everyday" he smiled "Where in Italy are they from?" Taking a sip of his wine.

"Well my father's parents are from Bari, it's like the heel of the boot" gesturing with my hands "and my mother's parents are from Sicily."

"Ah. Sicily. Isn't that where the Mafia originated? You're not a mob princess are you?" This is so typical.

I took a sip of my wine. Didn't this guy ever hear of the code of silence? I told him what my mother told me. "There's no such thing as the Mafia, Mr. Cullen" I gave him a tight smile.

Edward changed the subject. He and leaned across the table "So what did the waiter say to you?" He finsihed his wine and refilled his glass and mine. I felt like it was such an intimate gesture. Leave it to a lush to think pouring a glass of wine was romantic.

I lauged "Well, puttanesca, means whore in Italian, so he just said it was a dirty pasta for such a nice woman" I felt weird telling Edward the waiter was hitting on me, so I just omitted the fact he called me pretty. He would never know.

"Ahh. He nodded. And what did you say back to him?"

I felt a blush creep up my face, took a sip of my wine and looked Edward right in the eye "I told him there's nothing wrong with getting a little dirty!" I started laughing.

He looked at me and his eyes grew dark. "Well, Miss Swan, if I didn't know any better I'd say you had a naughty side to you."

I wiggled my eyebrows and took a sip of my wine "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out." Shit. I can't believe I was being so forward with my boss. He could probably fire me for this, but I'll take my chances.

Our food arrived and it was delicious. We ate and talked like it was the most natural thing in the world. Also, it didn't hurt that we were on our third bottle of wine. My head started to feel fuzzy.

"So" Edward said "I'm really happy that I eavesdropped on your conversation that day" his teeth, lips and tongue were purple from all the wine. I panicked for a second realizing I probably looked the same way.

"You know what? Me too!" I paused and took a sip of my drink "But, did you really wear my earmuffs?" I couldn't help the laughing fit that took over my body.

He looked embarrassed "Yeah! I did!" he drained the last of his wine, topped his glass off and poured the rest of the bottle in my glass.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you did that! What if I had that disease?" I was snapping my fingers, trying to think of what that thing was called when you had those bugs in your hair, "Aha! Lice! That's what it is, what if I had lice?"

He laughed and then a serious look crossed his face and he leaned in closer to me, without even realizing it I was leaning in to meet him, our foreheads were only inches apart. I could smell the wine on his breath "You are far too beautiful to have lice." I think my heart just stopped. What did they put in this wine? Was I hallucinating?

I giggled "Lice don't care what you look like!" I bit my bottom lip.

His tongue grazed the bottom of his lip. We were seconds away from kissing when the waiter appeared asking if we wanted another bottle of wine. Edward pulled away from me and asked for the check. No! What the hell! I was thinking about cursing the waiter out in Italian when Edward's voice snapped me out of my trance.

"Bella, are you ok?"

I shook my head and drained the last of my wine. "Couldn't be better."

I grabbed my purse and dug around for my lip gloss, trying to mask the purple stain on my lips. I put it on without a mirror, only because I was too drunk to find it, as Edward settled up the check.

"Thank you for lunch, Mr. Cullen" I said as I stood up. Whoa. Head rush. I was defiantly more than a little drunk. Edward must have noticed because he put his hand on the small of my back to guide me to the door. He helped me with my coat, placing his hand back on my lower back as we walked out of the restaurant.

Walking down the sidewalk, he nuzzled his nose into my hair and I felt my body go stiff "Mmmm…you smell like coconuts" his hand moved down over my ass. Holy fuck! YES! He was touching me!

I stopped walking and looked at him; he was just staring at me, inches away from my face. And then I kissed him. It wasn't the most graceful thing because I actually slammed my lips against his. It took me a moment, but I was able to get my lips around his bottom lips and I sucked gently. He grabbed my face. I pushed my body forward so it was flush against his and I heard him moan. I let go of his bottom lip and our tongues were stroking each other rhythmically. Back and forth. I couldn't help but let my mind wander back to my dream. Our kiss intensified and my one hand was running through the back of his hair while the fingers on my other hand gently grazed his neck. He was a really good kisser. Mmm. He tasted so good.

After what felt like ages, I pulled back and looked at him. His hands were still on my face. It took me a moment but the realization of what I just did hit me like a thousand bricks. And then I was apologizing.

I backed away from him so he was no longer touching my face. "Oh my God! I am so sorry! I can't believe I just attacked you like that! You're my boss! And it's my freaking first day working for you! It's only been like 5 hours and I already sexually assaulted you! I don't even have any appointments in the planner yet!" There goes my seventy thousand, there goes my Louis Vuitton planner and my black card. I wanted to cry.

He was running his fingers though his hair one hand on his hip, God that was hot. He gave me that sexy smile "Bella. I'm not going to tell you I'm sorry because I've been waiting to do that for what feels like ages." Oh. That was defiantly not what I expected.

"Wait. So does that mean you're not going to fire me?" I was holding my breath.

He just laughed "No. I am not going to fire you. But, since I am your boss, we probably shouldn't do that again." He stuck his hands in his jean pockets and rocked back onto his heels "Even though I really enjoyed it."

I let out the breath of air I was holding "Oh thank god! Because I really need this job and I do like spending time with you, you're really nice and…" I just needed to stop talking.

He took his hands out of his pockets and pulled my jacket so I moved closer to him "You thought that was, nice?" His eyes were dark.

Well no. I thought that was UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE but I didn't want to show him all my cards. I smiled and swatted his hands away "That's for me to know and you to never find out!"I started walking down the street.

He followed me "Oh Miss Swan, I'll get it out of you eventually." I was glad our playful banter was back to normal.


	5. Chapter 5

*** ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

**** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This is USE TO BE Chapter 9!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

I had been working for Edward for about a month now and my job wasn't as Edward-centric as I originally thought it would be. I was mostly doing mindless errands like dropping his laundry off at the laundry mat, doing his grocery shopping, and getting his fan mail. Needless to say, we managed not to cross any more boundaries since that delightful day at Da Silvano. This was probably due to the fact I only saw him an average of five minutes at a time. Though, during those wonderful moments I had a hard time keeping my hands to myself.

The only time I was around him for longer than a five minute period was when I had to drop his silver Range Rover off to get serviced. I've never been the best driver so I wasn't all that surprised when I managed to blow both the front and back right tires. Seriously, did they have spikes in the potholes in New York or something? I had to call Edward to tell him what happened and after waiting for TWO HOURS for a tow truck to come and take the car to the dealership, I had to go back to Edward's apartment where he read me the riot act. I thought for sure he was going to fire me, or at least make me pay for his tires, he was so furious. Lucky for me, I started crying and he must have felt bad for me because he didn't tell me to give him all his stuff back.

I still think he hasn't quite totally forgiven me yet but I couldn't help but be hopeful because today was Valentine's Day. And who knows, maybe with all the love in the air, we could have a repeat of what happened outside the restaurant. Maybe engage in some hate sex? That's the best kind of sex.

The only problem with this was that I had to plan Edward and Tanya's Valentines Day. The sick bastard was making ME, a girl he had a steamy make out session with; organize his V-Day, with his girlfriend, who he CHEATED ON, with ME. But because I already made a major mistake with the Range Rover I couldn't afford to sabotage anything. Though, I seriously contemplated it.

I ordered her four dozen white roses to be delivered to her at different times of the day. I even had to go to Cartier to pick out _jewelry _for her. I opted for getting her a bracelet because after a long discussion with the salesgirl, we decided it was the least romantic piece of jewelry to receive. Mwahaha. As if that wasn't enough torture, I had to reserve them a romantic table for two at Babo.

Even though I couldn't ruin their Valentine's Day, I had a perfectly executed plan of revenge.

I got up for work at 7 o'clock and ran to the shower. I didn't have to worry about shaving, since I started getting laser hair removal after I got my first paycheck, so that saved me some time. I carefully washed out the keratin treatment mask I left on my hair overnight. I made sure my hair was completely free of any leftover goop by vigorously scrubbing my hair with some shampoo and WEN, twice. Then, I meticulously washed every inch of my body, I even exfoliated and just to make sure I was extra clean and polished, I washed my body one last time. I quickly jumped out of the shower and toweled off my body wrapping my hair up in another towel. I thoroughly flossed and brushed my teeth, rinsing my mouth out with Listerine when I was done.

I walked into my room and looked at the clock. It was 7:54, good; I still had a little over an hour to get ready. I put on a nude thong and matching bra that complicatedly wrapped around my body, so it was backless , that I got from Victoria's Secret. I didn't feel like getting dressed just yet, so I threw on some yoga pants while I got ready. I quickly blew out my hair and straightened the ends with my flat iron. It looked fabulous. The Keratin treatment made my hair really voluminous, sleek and glossy. It also brought out the red highlights I had gotten done the week before.

After admiring my hair in the mirror for a bit, I started on my makeup. I tried to keep my eye makeup light, wearing a cream eye shadow that matched my skin with a little charcoal eye liner that ran along my lash line and winged out at the ends. I obviously had on my false lashes which I accented with extra mascara. I added some foundation and bronzer. Wanting to spice my look up a bit, I put on some hot pink lipstick. I checked myself out in the mirror and was extremely pleased with how my face looked. I did a little happy dance.

I was just about to put my dress on when Angela popped her head into my room "Woohoo! Hot stuff!" she pretended to fan herself with her hand "Bella! You look absolutely gorgeous!"

I gave her a wicked grin "Thanks boo! Plan 'Scorned Lover' is in full swing" I pulled off my pants and put on a pair of opaque black tights that had a seam running up the back of my thighs. They were hot! I took the red bandage dress out of my closet. It was a definite 'fuck me dress' as Ben and Mike called it. It was a three-quarter sleeve that dipped very low in the back and hit me mid thigh. The dress really accentuated my curves and made my butt look round and perky. My boobs looked phenomenal too. Not to toot my own horn but… toot toot!

Angela was laughing at me now "Bells, he's not going to know what hit him. He's not going to be able to get the image of you looking like this" moving her hands through the air in the shape of an hour glass "out of his brain when he's with Tanya, even more so since you planned their entire date! You really are an evil genius."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, honey!" we both laughed. "Think I should throw on a blazer? I don't want it too seem _that_ obvious?" I pulled a tailored cream blazer from my closet holding it up.

"Angela cocked her head to the side, concentrating hard "Definitely. You don't want this whole thing to backfire, so I would wear the blazer and pretend you get hot or something and take it off!"

We both dissolved into a fit of giggles. I put on the blazer and Ang said "Don't forget, we have dinner reservations with Ben and Mike at 9! Ben has this whole surprise planned for today so we're going to meet you guys at the restaurant. Then after that were going to some party hosted by Tada, it should be fun!" She was trying to distract me.

When Angela suggested Mike and I should double date with her and Ben on Valentine's Day I was a little reluctant, but she talked me into it, saying it was a cheesy, consumer holiday and it would be much more tolerable if we just hung out as a group.

I think she just felt bad for me since I've been in a slump since my make out with Edward and she probably thought I would slit my wrists in the bathtub while listening to Alanis Morissette if she left me home alone. Hey, if the shoe fits.

I let out a huge sigh "I know, I know. I still feel kind of weird going out with Mike on Valentine's Day though." I put in my diamond stud earrings "He knows it's not a date _date_ right? He's been acting kind of weird to me lately and well I just don't want him to get the wrong idea about tonight..." I slid my feet into my hot pink satin pumps, steadying myself on Angela's shoulder.

She rolled her eyes at me "Yeah, about that… Don't be mad if he brings you flowers or something tonight…"

"Angela!" I stomped my foot down like a three year old! "He thinks it's a date!" I whined.

She looked at the clock "Bella, its 9:10, you better leave or you'll be late for work…"

Aggh. I didn't want this to happen! I put on my coat with a huff. I grabbed my cell phone and my purse. "Angela," I pointed my finger at her, giving her my best stern voice "I'm only doing this because I love you and frankly, I don't want to sit at home like a loser, but you owe me!" I stomped past her and out of my bedroom.

She swatted my ass "Whatever!. Go get em tiger!"

I walked off the elevator and into Edward's apartment, with his morning coffee, by 9:50. I put his coffee and my bag on the breakfast bar, taking my coat off and throwing it on the back of one of the stools. I was looking over my list of duties for the day written in his scrappy handwriting, when I heard the elevator arrive.

Edward walked off the elevator and I had to clench my muscles together to keep from running and attacking him, with my mouth. There was a veil of sweat across his forehead, that I really wanted to lick off. He was wearing sweatpants and a Northface jacket, his hair was hidden under a gray beanie. He obviously just got back from his morning run.

"Morning, boss! Happy Valentine's Day!" I walked over and handed him his coffee.

He whistled at me "Good morning, you look" he was eyeing me up and down "very _nice_ today Miss Swan" Scratch that. He wasn't eyeing me, he was eye _fucking_ me.

The way he said nice brought me back to our make out, and I hoped he wasn't thinking nice things about me. I hoped he was thinking very dirty things about me.

I playfully swatted his arm "Why this old thing?" I rolled my eyes "Thanks, you look _nice_" I paused for dramatic effect "… and sweaty! Did you have a good run?" This was a lot of fun.

"Yeah! I ran six miles under forty minutes. It's my best time yet! " He took a sip of his coffee "So, did you see my list of stuff for you to do today?"

I was disappointed when he didn't play along. "Yep. I was looking over it when you walked in. Is there any last minute things you need for tonight?" Why am I torturing myself like this? What kind of sick fuck am I?

"Um.. actually. Could you run to the liquor store and get me two bottles of Dom? Tanya's coming here first so I thought we would have some drinks before dinner…" It was like a punch in the stomach to hear him talk about Tanya.

I tried to act nonchalant "Yeah.. no problem!" my voice was a little too high pitched.

"Soo… do you have a hot date for tonight?" Uh, I need to play tonight up. I don't want him to think I'm a total loser tagging along with my best friend, her boyfriend and his brother. Not to mention, I'm probably going to be miserable and drink myself stupid...

"Actually, I do!" I gave him my best smile and slowly tucked my hair behind my ear "That's why I'm dressed like this" I ran my hands up and down "He said he would pick me up at four, and I wasn't sure what time I was going to get out of here so…" I didn't know what to say next because I just winged that last part, I hope I didn't sound like that much of a loser.

"So, who's the lucky guy? Do you know what you are going to do?"

I lied, once again. "Um… his name is Mike Newton?" It came out as more of a question rather than a statement "…And I don't know what he's got up his sleeve, he said it was a surprise. I'm kind of a little scared actually, I'm not that big on Valentine's Day" I felt like Pinocchio and at the rate I was going, my nose was going to reach my parents house in Jersey by the time the day was through.

I looked at Edward and if I wasn't mistaken I saw a quick flash of anger pass across his face but in the blink of an eye, he looked as cool as a cucumber. "Well. If you're not done with the list by 3:30, you can leave early to make it in time for your _date_" was I hallucinating or did he sound pissed when he said date? "Just make sure you get the Dom and put next week's schedule into my phone. "

I think I accomplished my mission, but I wanted to be sure. I smiled "Ok! Thanks! I'll get started now" I walked over towards the breakfast bar, taking my blazer off so my bare back was exposed. I looked over my shoulder and he was staring at me, eyes wide, swallowing hard so his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Bingo. Mission defiantly accomplished.

"Sorry. I'm just a little warm, do you mind if I leave this here?" Not bothering to wait for a reply "Anyway, I'm going to go to get your fan mail and dry cleaning now and I'll pick up the Dom on my way back." I threw my blazer over one of the barstools, put on my jacket, grabbed my list, sticking it in my purse and walked towards the elevators.

"Y-yeah" his voice cracked and he cleared his throat "Um.. no problem" he gestured with his thumb down the hallway "I'm just, uh… going to go take a shower."

As the elevators closed I did a little dance! It felt good teasing Edward after all the shit he put me through the past week!

I walked to the subway, sticking my ear buds into my ears, scrolling through my music library. I settled on_ Survivor _by Destiny's Child. It felt oddly appropriate to my mood. As I waited for the subway, I texted Ang.

Mission Accomplished. I may have told him I was going on a date w/ M (not a total lie?) I couldn't resist! xoxo

I got back to Edwards apartment at 1:30. I stepped off the elevator "Helloooo? Anybody home?" I yelled. I was greeted by silence. I dropped his dry cleaning on the chair by the elevator as I walked into the kitchen.

I dropped the bag full of fan mail and my Birkin (my poor baby!) on the floor so I could put the two bottles of Dom into the fridge. I picked up the bags and walked over to the breakfast bar, setting them down and took off my coat, laying it on top of my blazer. I kicked off my heels because my feet were throbbing, as I dug through my purse looking for my list and a pen.

I was looking over my list, crossing off the stuff I had accomplished. The only thing left to do was put Edward's schedule into his phone.

I picked up the dry cleaning off the chair and walked down the hallway to put it in Edward's room. I opened the door and walked over to the closet and I was greeted by a naked Edward. He must not have heard me come in because his still kept his back to me. I froze. Damn he had a nice ass.

"Oh my God! I dropped the dry cleaning.

He spun around and looked startled "Bella?... WHAT THE FUCK!"

I covered my eyes with my hands like a five year old. "I'm sorry! I didn't think you were here! I was just putting your dry cleaning away!" I was shrieking. I quickly spun around to leave the room and lost my footing due to my slippery stockings, falling right on my ass.

"Ow! Mother fuck!" I didn't know what to do so I started crawling out of the room on my hands and knees. It seemed easier than trying to stand up and slipping again. What the fuck was I doing! I managed to get out of his room, stood up, shut the door and ran into the kitchen.

AHHH! I just walked in on my boss naked! And I saw EVERYTHING! His body was amazing. Every muscle in his back was so defined! And his abs! I thought about his dick. It was huge! And he was soft! My dream didn't do him ANY justice! Oh my God! That was so hot! I was so turned on.

I didn't know what to do, so I did what I do best. I walked over to the freezer, careful not to slip, and took out a bottle of vodka. I didn't even bother to get a glass; I just took a swig from the bottle.

Well. That was embarrassing. After a few minutes passed and I took a few more sips of vodka, I realized I had to go apologize. But should I go back in there? Or should I wait for him to come out? I took another sip of vodka and shook my head in reaction to the bitterness.

I should probably wait for him to come out… I walked over to the breakfast bar with the bottle of vodka firmly in my hand, sat down and waited for him to come out.

Fifteen minutes, and countless sips later, Edward walked out into the living room. He was running his hand through his damp hair and I felt pressure starting to build between my thighs. I thought of him naked. God, he looked _so good._

He walked over to the breakfast bar, not saying a word. And I was too turned on and buzzed to trust myself to speak first. He grabbed the bottle of vodka and took a huge swig. Shaking his head and making a "bleh" sound.

He put the bottle down and looked at me. "Are you alright, you looked like you fell pretty hard?" he was chuckling.

Relief flooded my body over the fact that his first words weren't, 'you're fired!' I smiled "I may have a bruise! I really went down hard." I was shaking my head back and forth "And I have a run in my stockings" Pointing to my knee. With my other hand, I grabbed the bottle and took another sip, silently giddy that my mouth was going to touch something his mouth touched.

"Bella…" he started to speak and paused.

"I'm really sorry." I blurted out. "Your door was closed and looking back now, I probably should have knocked but it was so quiet when I got back, I didn't think you were home…" I looked at his face for the first time since he walked out of his bedroom.

He gave me a half smile, "How about, just for future reference, if a door is closed, you knock first?"

I smiled and pushed the bottle towards him "that sounds like a really good idea."

He took another sip. "So. Now that _that_ is out of the way, want to update my schedule, so you can go get ready for your date? I'm sure you'll need some extra time to get new stockings" as he said that, he took his thumb and pointer finger and pinched the fabric off my thigh, pulling it up and letting it snap back.

My skin tingled where he touched it "Yeah. That sounds good." I pointed to the fridge "I put your Dom in there and I'll deal with this" slapping my hand against the bag of fan mail "on Monday."

He laughed and walked out of the room, I'm assuming to get his cell phone. While he was gone, I dug through my purse grabbing my Louis Vuitton planner and putting it on the counter.

I flipped open the book to the next week as he arrived back to the kitchen, sliding the phone towards me and grabbing the bottle of vodka and taking another sip." He walked into the kitchen.

I just finished putting the appointments in his Iphone, when he got a text from Tanya. The little bubble popped up on the screen:

Baby! I got the roses! You are the best. I thought of many ways to make it up 2 u later. Rest up! U r in 4 a long night! Here is a preview of what is to cum.

Maybe it was the vodka. But I couldn't help but open the text to look at the picture. I felt like I got stabbed in the stomach. Staring back at me was a picture of her boobs in a lacy black corset that stopped right above her belly button, leaving little to the imagination. I sucked in a huge breath of air and dropped the phone. The whore actually spelled come, cum... like he would be.. NOPE! I refuse to think about them doing that. I was kicking myself for planning such a romantic day for that bitch. I didn't need to twist the knife any more by picturing them having sex. I rested my elbows on the counter and cradled my head in my hands.

And of course, Edward chose that moment to walk in and set a bottle of water in front of me. I saw his hand grab his phone and slide it towards himself. How the hell was I going to explain this one?

"Oh.." was all he said.

"It was an accident" was all I could come up with.

He pulled my arms away from my head. "Hey.. look at me" he said.

I was fighting back tears but I looked up at him anyway. "Well. I guess she liked her flowers…." I didn't really want to get into this..

"Bella… is everything ok? Between us? Because I…" Fuck. He was going to fire me! I guess there were only so many mistakes a PA could make. It was inevitable.

Then, my phone was ringing. Thank God. I fumbled through my purse and saw it was Mike calling. I pressed ignore and set it on the counter. If this wasn't happening to me, it would be comical.

I let out a sigh "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. But I really need this job…" A tear fell down my face.

And then Edward pulled me into a hug. "Well that's it then. If you want the job, it's yours." He rubbed my back. His hand on my bare skin felt amazing. "Just… knock before you open a closed door and don't read my text messages? Ok?"

I pushed away from him and wiped my face. Great. I told myself I wasn't going to cry on Valentine's Day. "Deal. I should really get going. I now have to get new stockings and fix my makeup." I gave him a small smiled as I put on my jacket not even bothering to put on my blazer, opting to stuff it in my Birkin instead. I didn't care about it getting wrinkled, I just needed to get out of there fast. I slipped on my shoes.

I walked towards the elevator, pressed the button and waited for it to arrive in silence. The doors opened and I walked in feeling 1000 times worse than the last time I was in this elevator. I turned to face him and said "Happy Valentine's Day" as the doors closed. I realized then that all the fantasies I had about hooking up with Edward were just that, fantasies. He chose Tanya over me and I needed to accept that. I felt like Adele would write a fantastic song about this.

I started to walk to the subway and I allowed myself to cry until I got off the train in SoHo. That gave me a good thirty minutes. A street vendor must have felt bad for me because he gave me a red rose "It looks like you need it" was all he said. Gee, ya think? Caption obvious.

I was clutching onto my rose like it was my lifeline. I wiped my nose like a slob "thanks." I kept walking. I felt like _Cry_ by Kelly Clarkson should be playing in the background.

I walked down the steps into the subway, crying.

I waited for the train, crying.

I stood on the train, crying.

As I reached my stop, I wiped the tears from my face and pulled myself together.

I reached the street and dug in my bag for my pack of Marlboro Lights. I lit one up and felt slightly better.

Someone grabbed my shoulder "Bella?" I spun around to see a set of Chicklet's smiling at me.

"Jake! Hi!" I smiled and then panicked, wondering what my face looked like. I must have looked like I was just bawling my eyes out because his face fell.

"Hey, are you ok?" he sounded so concerned.

I waved my hand holding the rose "Oh, you know, just a bad day" I tried to keep my voice from cracking.

He gave me a warm smile "We've got to stop meeting like this." We continued to walk in silence for a little. I took a long drag of my cigarette.

"So... does this bad day have anything to do with what day it is? I see you have a rose in your hand so it can't be so bad, right?"He sounded unsure, like he was about to open up a can of worms.

I contemplated spilling my guts to this guy, but then I remembered I signed a NDA and I didn't even know this guy, so who was I to say he wouldn't run off and tell Us Weekly what I told him?

I tried to simplify the situation as best as I could. "Um. Yeah kind of. It's just… I had to plan my boss's Valentine's Day with his girlfriend, and I thought of all the romantic things I would want a guy to do for me. And then I realized.." I took another drag of my cigarette. Jake didn't say anything. He probably thought I was bat shit crazy.

I exhaled. "That no one was going to plan those things for me… it's a hard pill to swallow." I took another drag. "And then my friend talked me into going out with her and her boyfriend and his brother. I mean, were all friends but it just makes me feel like a loser tagging along on her date and all." I exhaled. I looked up at Jake and my heart melted.

He looked genuinely concerned. He turned to me and stopped, grabbing my shoulders. Some people shouted some profanities at us, stomping around us. He was bending down so he was at eye level with me.

"Hey. You are a beautiful, funny girl. And I'm not just saying this to make you feel better. Valentine's Day is for assholes, it's all the corporations" he sounded like Angela "they concoct all these fantasies to get women's hopes up, and I guarantee you, all of them are as disappointed as you are" he tapped my head with his pointer finger "it's all in here, and one day, and I have a feeling it will be very soon, there will be a guy that will make every day feel like Valentine's Day, without being _obligated_ to do so." Whoa. That was the sweetest thing I ever heard.

I toss my cigarette away and pulled him into a hug "Thank you." And I just held onto him, in the middle of the sidewalk.

He unwrapped one arm from my body, keeping his other arm wrapped around my shoulders and turned his body so we started walking, I kept my arm around his waist. It felt so natural.

I was trying to lighten the mood "So, do you know any available guys?" I looked up at him and smiled.

He smiled down to me. "I may know of a guy" We walked to my building still wrapped around each other. We stopped at my door.

Before I knew what I was saying, I blurted out "Do you have any plans later tonight?" I was so nervous to hear his answer.

He gave me a smile that would be a dentist's wet dream "I do not have any plans tonight" his hands were in his pockets and he rocked back onto his heels.

I tried to tame my excitement "Well.. um.. my friends and I are going to this party... in Chelsea… probably around 11:30, would you like to come?" Please say yes, please say yes. I don't think I could handle another rejection today.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He pulled his phone out "Let me get your number"

I typed my info into his phone, saved the contact and hit send so he called my phone and I had his number. Once I heard my phone ringing I hung up. I put my hands on his shoulders and stood on my tiptoes and stretched my body out so I could kiss him on the cheek.

He was so tall, the kiss landed on his chin and I just giggled "Thank you, for everything. I'll call you later with the address?" I gave him a hopeful smile

"Sounds good." He kissed my hand and walked away.

I turned and walked into my building. How did this happen? I'm pretty sure shit like that only happened in movies. As I waited for the elevator, I wondered how I was going to tell Mike about Jake showing up tonight…


	6. Chapter 6

*** ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

**** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This is USE TO BE Chapter 10!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

**Edward's POV:**

After Bella left I felt absolutely terrible about how this day ended up. She looked so fucking _sexy _in that red dress and it made me a little excited when she walked in on me naked. The poor girl looked so embarrassed though and then she fell! I had to stifle a laugh… but then she crawled away from me on her hands and knees with her dress barely covering her ass… She had a great ass. And those stockings she was wearing…I was glad she wasn't facing me because I became hard instantly.

I had to deal with the situation, so I grabbed the picture of her that Emmett gave me and I rubbed one out in my bathroom. After that view of her ass and looking at that picture, it didn't really take much. I came so hard; it was like I was fifteen again.

I threw on some flannel lounge pants and a black tee, I checked myself out in the mirror to make sure I didn't have any cum on me and went to talk to Bella. She was sitting at my breakfast bar drinking vodka straight from the bottle. I didn't know how to bring up the subject so I just reached for the vodka, I was slightly hoping she was as turned on as I was. If only she would attack me like she did that day at Da Silvano, but she just sat there, not even looking at me. I took a sip from the bottle and it was disgusting. How the hell was she drinking this with no chaser?

I was a little disappointed that nothing happened but what did I expect? I've been avoiding her as much as possible since we kissed, it was just too hard to be around her and suppress the urge to pin her against the wall and have my wicked way with her. It was like being a recovering crack addict and hanging out in a crack den. It was just easier if I kept my distance.

I finally mustered up the courage to say something to her and I asked her if she was ok since she fell really hard. Once again, we tiptoed around a conversation that really needed to be had, but I was too big of a pussy. We were back to our flirty banter and everything was almost back to normal until she read that stupid text from Tanya.

The shit really hit the fan. To be honest, I didn't even want to celebrate Valentine's Day with Tanya. She was just so materialistic and narcissistic, being around her lately made my skin crawl. But I couldn't break up with her so close to Valentine's Day, Tanya would no doubt run to E! News and give them an exclusive interview about how much of a dick I was. My publicist would kill me.

So I had Bella plan my date with Tanya because if I had left it up to myself, I probably wouldn't have even called her today. It was really twisted of me, having the girl I was crushing on plan a date with my girlfriend but once again, I was too much of a pussy to do anything about it. I had to remind myself that it was Bella's job as my assistant to plan this kind of stuff, nevertheless I still felt so guilty every time I asked her to do something.

Then, Bella started crying. I felt like such a jackass, it was the second time I made her cry. But I realized something then, Bella must have feelings for me or else that picture of Tanya wouldn't have gotten her so upset. I was elated! We could probably have a quickie before she had to leave for her date with that jackass, Mike Newton. I tried to bring up the subject of how if she wasn't my assistant we could fuck like rabbits, but I didn't know how to say it to her face. I needed to grow some fucking balls. If Emmett ever found out about this, I would never live it down.

Instead, she told me how she really needed the job and I realized she would rather have a job working for me _than _fucking me. I pulled her into a hug because I just wanted to feel her body against mine and told her she could have the job as long as she wants it. Fuck. I was just going to have to find a way to stop thinking about her. She left and I didn't know what to do, so I walked towards the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Dom, not even bothering with a glass.

I drank both of the bottles before Tanya arrived and when she showed up wearing a trench coat with only a corset and a thong underneath, I was too drunk to get it up. Whoops. Normally, if a hot chick showed up at my door like that, I would have creamed my pants. Oh well. She was pissed but, what else is new. She was always complaining about something. I gave her the present that Bella bought; I still had no idea what she even got her, probably because I didn't care. Tanya opened the box and pulled out a diamond bracelet.

She was pissed "Why didn't you get me something more romantic, like a necklace or something?"

I wanted to tell her to fuck off but I bit my tongue and she put the bracelet on anyway. We sat in an uncomfortable silence watching her dumb ass reality show on TV until it was time for our dinner reservation.

She managed to talk about herself the entire time we were at dinner and I started playing a drinking game with myself, where every time she said the word 'I', I would take a sip of my drink. I was fucking hammered by the time we left. Tanya was bitching, saying I ruined her Valentine's Day and how she was just going to go to some party hosted by Tada.

My head snapped up. "Issh it a network party?"

She scoffed "Yeah. All the actors have to make an appearance at the party tonight. I was going to blow it off to spend time with you, but you are being such a fucking asshole, I'm just going to go to the party, _alone_."

I ignored the fact that she called herself an 'actor' because I was too busy wondering if Bella would be at this party with Mike Newton. If all the 'actors' had to make an appearance, I wondered if he would bring Bella along with him…I had to go to this party.

"Baby, I'm schoooo schorry, let me make it up to you, I'll come with you"

She seemed even more pissed, if that was even possible. "Why? You never want to go to these things. You're not going to drink anymore while you're there, you'll embarrass me in front of my friends!"

I couldn't believe she was telling me what to do but I had to go to that party "I'll only have water."

She smiled "Ok baby, let's go… but if you have one drink, I will cut you're fucking balls off."

Yikes.

* * *

**Bella's POV:**

It was only 3:00 and I had 6 hours until our dinner reservation. Angela wasn't home, so I decided to take a nap. I was exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions I felt today. I think I hit every one, happy, jealous, turned on, sad, excited. I set my alarm for 7:30, stripped off all my clothes and untangled the ridiculous contraption I was wearing for a bra and just crawled under the covers.

The next thing I knew, my alarm was going off. I groaned. I really didn't want to go to the dinner; I layed in bed wondering if I could just text Angela and tell her I wasn't feeling up for it. But I couldn't do that to Mike, he was my friend and I didn't want to ruin his night. Plus, I needed to go to the party to see Jake.

I jumped out of bed and looked at my face in the mirror; my makeup was a disaster from crying and sleeping. One of my eyelashes wasn't even on. I looked on my bed and found it plastered to my pillow. I sighed, ripped off the other eyelash and went to the bathroom to wash my face.

I came back in my room and started on my makeup. I decided to do a really dark, smokey eye. I used blacks and browns, using heavy liner under my bottom lashes. I put on my false lashes and added extra mascara. It looked really good and really dramatic. I added some foundation and bronzer and put on the hot pink lipstick again. I plugged my flat iron in and fixed some of the hairs that got a little messy while I was sleeping.

I heard a knock on the door, Mike was here. I threw on my bathrobe and ran to the door, throwing it open. He looked so cute, standing there in a suit with a bouquet of red roses.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bella! You look…." He ran his eyes over me "Not ready yet.." He looked at his watch.

"Hi! Happy Valentine's Day! You look great!" I gestured for him to come in "I just have to get dressed!"

He walked in and passed the flowers to me "These are for you, pretty lady."

I smelled them, not because I wanted to but because I thought that was what you're supposed to do when you get flowers. "Thank you! They're beautiful. Just let me put them in some water!"

"Here, I'll do it, you go get dressed! We don't want to be late."

I walked into my room, put on my bra and threw on my dress. Since my stockings were ripped, I added some shimmery lotion to my legs. I added some gold bangle bracelets and a huge rhinestone heart cocktail ring. I grabbed a gold clutch from my closet and quickly threw some stuff in it from my purse. I grabbed my cell phone and slid on my shoes. I grabbed a jacket and walked out to meet Mike.

He whistled at me. I winced because Edward had the same reaction. "Bella, you look absolutely.." he seemed at a loss for words. "gorgeous, sexy, hot, delectible." He kissed his fingers and then fanned them out.

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed. He helped me slide on my coat and we were off.

When we got to the restaurant, Angela and Ben were already there. They looked so cute and cuddly together. We all talked and drank and ate. I was a little distracted because I didn't know how to bring up the subject of Jake to Mike.

It was going to be such an awkward conversation because Mike was being so touchy feeling with me. He was resting his hand on my thigh and complimenting me to the point where I was starting to feel uncomfortable. I was also a little on edge because I texted Jake the address of the party and told him we would be there at 11:30 and I didn't hear back from him.

After thirty minutes of not hearing back from Jake, I excused myself from the table and went to call him. I took a deep breath and hit send, after three rings, it went to voicemail. WHAT THE FUCK! He just ignored my call! He was probably on a date. I was furious. Well, add that to the list of emotions.

I stalked back to the table. I must have looked pissed because Angela asked "Bella, are you all right?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

I plastered a smile on my face "Yeah, everything is just peachy" I drained the contents of my wine glass and Mike refilled my glass for me. It wasn't as romantic as when Edward did it. I just couldn't resist rubbing salt into my wounded heart. What was wrong with me?

After four more glasses of wine, I was drunk and we were on our way to the Tada party. I still haven't heard anything back from Jake. Looking on the bright side, at least I didn't have to tell Mike I invited another guy to the party.

We walked into the club and it was like Valentine's Day on acid. The room was decorated in different shades of pink, red and white. I wanted to kill myself. I excused myself from the group, yelling because it was so fucking loud in this place and walked over to the bar. I tried to order a vodka seltzer but the bartender told me they were only serving 'Heartini's', he slid a drink over to me and I quickly swallowed the contents of the drink without bothering to walk away from the bar.

It was a fucking Pomegranate Martini, why couldn't they just call it what it was? I was in hell. I signaled for another. The bartender poured me another and didn't even walk away, he just stood there waiting for me to finish. I swallowed the drink in two large gulps, set my empty glass down and as he was refilling it, I felt a hand on my back. I was instantly annoyed because Mike was kind of smothering me and I was relieved to be away from him.

I turned around to see that Edward Cullen was smiling at me, his eyes glazed over. Well, that wasn't who I was expecting and I instantly wished it was Mike instead. I was so pissed, could this day get any fucking WORSE? I was defiantly in hell. I downed my drink. I wasn't even paying attention to what I was doing. I should have really been pacing myself, the last thing I needed was to throw up all over this place.

The bartender slid me another drink and I took a sip without saying a word to Edward. He leaned in to whisper something in my ear, but it was so loud in the place I couldn't make out what he said. I was drunk and I didn't want to cry again, so I started to walk away and he grabbed my wrist.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" I must have yelled it a little too loud because everyone around us turned to look.

Edward looked like I slapped him. Then, as if to prove Murphy's Law, Tanya walked over and snaked her arms around Edwards's waist. He seemed to tense at her touch. She was absolutely gorgeous and I instantly had the urge to throw my drink in her face when she started whispering in Edward's ear, running her hands over his chest, her diamond bracelet sparkling.

I thought for a minute she might be slightly retarded because she was completely ignoring me and the fact that her boyfriend was now holding my hand. I noticed he made no move to drop his grasp on me either. What was that about?

If it wasn't awkward enough already, I heard Angela's voice "Bella! There you are, Mike's looking for you, he wants you to meet his mom and sister…" she stopped when she saw Edward and I holding hands, and Tanya holding Edward. Her eyes ran back and forth between the three of us. We must have looked ridiculous.

Then, all of a sudden, Edward let go of me, holding his hand out to shake Angela's. He yelled "Hi Angela, I'm Edward Cullen, it's a pleaschure to meet you." He slightly slurred his words.

How the fuck did he know who Angela was? I've talked about her to him before, but I'm almost positive I never showed him what she looks like…

Angela must have sensed the tension because she gave him a short "Hi" quickly shook his hand, grabbed my arm and walked away, pulling me along like a child.

"How the hell did he know who you were?" I yelled in her ear.

"What do you mean?" she looked confused.

"I know I've told him about you before, but I've never shown him what you look like…" we never got the opportunity to figure this out because Mike showed up, snaking his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him so we were facing each other. He whispered something in my ear but I didn't hear it because I saw Edward had followed me, Tanya in tow.

Without thinking what I was doing, I pulled back from Mike, looked him in the eyes, and kissed him. And, thank the LORD, Mike didn't pull away. It was a really sloppy kiss. Mike was a horrible kisser; he was one of those guys that used WAY too much tongue. It kind of reminded me of a helicopter because he kept circling it around and around and around. Gross.

I pulled back and suppressed the urge to wipe the spit that was all over my mouth and chin but I couldn't resist, it was too disgusting. I wiped my face with the back of my hand.

"What was that for?" Mike yelled in my ear.

"I don't know" I yelled back. I couldn't tell him, 'oh I just wanted to make my boss jealous after he got a steamy sext from his beautiful girlfriend'. I looked back to where Edward was and he was still there, making out with Tanya. I wanted to run over and break them apart.

I gulped down the rest of my 'Heartini' which I somehow managed to keep from spilling throughout all of this. At least something was going right.

Then, a cute blonde girl walked up to us, swatting Mike on the arm "Mikey, who's your friend?" she yelled.

"Isabella Swan" he pointed from me to the blonde girl "meet my sister, Lauren." Fuck, I had to meet his sister? What is it with this place? Couldn't people just leave me alone? I suddenly wanted to run home and curl up under the covers and not come out until Memorial Day.

I stuck out my hand to shake hers and she looked at it like I was handing her a used tissue. Her face reminded me of a turtle. "Nice to meet you. I'm Bella." She literally put one finger on my hand and then snatched it away, wiping it on her dress. What the hell was this girl's problem? Was I in the twilight zone or something?

"Are you by any chance Edward Cullen's assistant?" She asked me.

What's it to her? "Yeah, I am" I said somewhat confused on why she even asked me that.

"Oh" was all she said. She looked around and must have spotted Tanya and Edward, who were still making out, actually humping each other would have been a more accurate description.

She laughed and looked back at me "Well, looks like they're in the holiday spirit!" She walked around us and grabbed Tanya's ass.

Tanya looked annoyed but then she squealed like a little girl when she saw Lauren. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I was staring at the three of them hoping that I would be able to read their lips.

Then, I started to feel really drunk, everything was kind of getting hazy, those Heartinis really messed with my head. Probably, because I drank them all in a span of ten minutes. Whatever.

Next thing I know the five of us, Tanya, Edward, Lauren, Mike and I are sitting on couches in another room. It was much quieter back here and Tanya was showing off her bracelet to Lauren.

Mike had his arm slung around me and I decided it would be a good idea to throw my legs over his. In doing so, I accidently kicked Lauren's drink and it spilled all over Edward.

"Whoops" was all I said as I took a big swig of my drink. Edward jumped up and Lauren handed him some napkins. He stormed off muttering something about the bathroom.

Mike looked back at me and tried to grab for my drink, saying "babe, it looks like you don't need any more of this" and since, I was not letting go of my drink, it spilled all over me.

"What the fuck, Mike!" I tried to stand up quickly but I was too drunk and Mike had to help me. He was apologizing saying it was an accident and I stumbled out to look for the bathroom. "Just leave me alone."

I eventually found the hallway that led to the bathroom, after falling on my ass, and I stumbled down the hallway bouncing back and forth between the walls. I eventually gave up and just slumped against the wall, resting my head on my knees, my hair creating a curtain around me.

After God knows how long, I felt someone grab my legs but I didn't bother to look up. "Mike! I told you to leave me alone, I don't want to have sex with you, EVER. You kiss like a helicopter." Well. That wasn't exactly how I planned on turning Mike down but, whatever. No one takes a drink out of my hands.

I heard laughing. My head snapped up and it took awhile for my eyes to focus, but when they did I saw Edward. "Oh, it's _you"_ I wasn't excited to see him either, the fucking asshole. At least he was a sexy asshole.

"Is that any way to greet your boss, Miss Swan" he brushed the hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear.

"It is when my bossch is a jackass. A really good looking jackassch too." I tapped his nose with my finger "You don't kissch like a helicopter. Did you know that? You're a realllllllllllly good kisscher. Why don't you like me?" I didn't have any control over what I was saying.

He laughed. "Come on Bella. Let's get you home" He tried to pull me up but I made no effort to move.

"Nope. I'm staying right here!"

He scooped me up over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.

"PUT ME DOWNNNNNNNNN! EVERYONE IS GOING TO SEE MY BUTT." I was punching his back "I'LL WALK! I'LL WALK!"

He set me down on my feet, keeping his hand firmly around my waist. "Did you have a bag?"

"Yep." I was so sleepy.

"Stay right here and don't move" He set me down on a couch. I couldn't go anywhere if I tried.

I somehow managed to get another drink. I think it just appeared from the sky. I was drinking it when he came back, shaking my gold clutch in his hands.

"Is this it? It was sitting on the couches." He gestured with his thumb. "Lauren said Mike left awhile ago, he was looking for you."

"Ughhhhh." I noticed Edward didn't try to take my drink away, so I decided to share it with him, I traded him my drink for my clutch "yay! I would be so sad if I lost you." I was speaking directly to my bag.

Edward just laughed at me, took a big sip of the drink and passed it back to me "Why thank you schir!" I took the last sip and set the glass down on the table.

"You ready to get out of here?" he said.

"Aye aye, Captain!" I stood up and practically fell over. Edward's hand grabbed me to steady me. His hand was on my boob. I couldn't stop laughing and he smiled.

We walked out of the club, there was a succession of flashing bright lights and I crawled into a black town car. Edward told the driver my address and we took off. "Who keeps a strobe light outside" I muttered

My phone started ringing from in my bag but I couldn't get the freaking clasp open . Edward took it from me laughing and pulled out my phone. He looked at the caller id "Who is Jake?"

"Oh my God! JAKE! He's just the nicest boy I've ever met. He told me one day it will be Valentine's Day all year round. His teeth look like chicklets!" I grabbed the phone from his hand but I wasn't quick enough because I missed his call.

"Oh well" I sighed "Edward." I looked at him and grabbed his face between my hands.

"What Bella?" he was laughing.

"I'm hungry!" I started poking my stomach.

We stopped at a corner market and I got Swedish Fish and a coconut water.

"You should get something to soak up the alcohol in your system" Edward said eyeing the items in my hand.

"You," I poked his chest "are not my father. Besides, fisch like to swim" I stumbled and walked towards the cash register.

I gave the cashier my stuff and he told me that I was beautiful.

"You are just so nische. Thank you!" I really liked this guy. "We should be friends!" I touched his arm.

He laughed and rung up my two items, "Yes we should, beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Edward walked up at the moment and said, "Yeah man, I'd appreciate it if you left my girlfriend alone." He sounded pissed. But he just called me his girlfriend! AH! Wait, did he leave his actual girlfriend at the club? I decided I didn't care enough to ask him.

I looked at the guy at the cash register "Don't listen to him, he is a liar. You can be my boyfriend if you want!"

Edward mumbled something I didn't understand, he threw a twenty on the counter, grabbed my stuff, wrapped an arm around my waist and ushered me out the door. I grabbed my fish from him.

We got into the car and before I knew it, we were at my apartment. I got out of the car and tripped over the curb, falling on my knees and spilling my fish all over the street. "NO! MY FISH!"

Edward was at my side and pulled me to my feet. "Are you all right?" I looked down and there was blood running down my legs.

"I'm bleeding" was all I said. I kicked off my shoes "these are evil" and walked towards the building not bothering to pick them up.

Edward followed me into my building, holding my shoes. We got on the elevator and I pressed the button for my floor.

We rode in silence and walked to my door. I couldn't open my bag so I just handed it over to Edward, he put my shoes down and pulled out my key, opening the door. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up, where's your bathroom?"

I showed him to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub and he sat on the toilet. Thank god the lid was down! He placed my foot in his lap, grabbed some toilet paper, ran it under the sink and started to clean up my leg.

"I wish I still had my fish" I said. He laughed and moved to clean up my other leg. I told him where the band aids were and in no time I was all patched up. I stood up and walked towards my bedroom, Edward following at my heels.

"Do you want to do something fun?" I turned around to face him and he looked unsure of what to say.

"U-uh… what is your idea of fun?" He said.

I laughed and walked over to my closet, pulling out a little green flower shaped box. I opened it up and pulled out a joint.

I held it up to him between my thumb and pointer finger, beaming like a child. He broke out into a huge grin, "Why yes, I'd like to do something fun.

I ran and jumped on my bed, opening my window. I patted the bed and told him to sit down. He kicked off his shoes and jumped on the bed. Causing me to bounce in the air.

We smoked the joint and were both laying on our backs, our feet dangling off my bed. We were laughing hysterically at something Edward said, I didn't remember what it was.

I rolled on my side to face him "Did Tanya like the bracelet?" I asked.

He rolled over to look at me "Why do you want to know?" he looked confused

I started laughing. "I have a confession to make. But before I tell you, you have to pinky-promise not to fire me" I held out my pinky and he linked his in mine "Ok. I bought her the bracelet because the salesgirl and I thought it was the least romantic jewelry to get" I was laughing really hard.

And then he was laughing really hard. He was trying to say something "She was so pissed" ahahaha "she said she" ahahah "wanted something" ahhaha "more romantic" ahahaha.

We were laughing so hard, for what felt like forever. We both stopped laughing and just stared at eachother. My window was still open and I let out an involuntary shiver. "Are you cold?" Edward asked as he pulled me closer to him.

"Mmm." Was all I could say.

"Let's get under the covers" he said.

"I need to change first, I can't sleep in this bra. It's horrible" I pulled out of Edwards arms, carefully stood up, holding on to the desk until I got my balance. I pulled off my dress, not even caring that Edward was in the room.

I heard him suck in a breath of air. "You know it's only fair, you saw me naked, now it's my turn" He was sitting up on his elbows.

I turned around "Yeah." I fumbled with my bra, trying to untangle it from my body but I was too messed up to figure out to get it off. "Helpppp" I whined, adding some extra p's at the end.

He stood up laughing. "Bella, what am I going to do with you?" He helped me take off my bra and I looked up at him standing there in just my underwear.

"Anything you want" I said.

And then we were kissing. Our lips crushed together, his hands were cupping my breasts, his tongue stroking my tongue. He sucked on my bottom lip and I fumbled to take his jacket off. We backed up towards the bed and he fell back, pulling me on top of him.

I straddeled him, sitting up, so I could unbutton his shirt while he watched me.

"Holy fuck" he said it so low it was almost a whisper. I undid all the buttons and pulled him up so he was sitting, so I could push it off his shoulders.

I licked the hollow of his throat, trailing my tongue lightly over his adam's apple up to his jaw, where I placed a kiss. I was rubbing my hips against his dick in a circular motion and he let out a low moan. He grabbed my waist and twisted his hips so I was lying down on the bed. He hovered over my body, kissing and sucking on my neck, working his way down until his mouth clamped over my nipple, which turned hard in his mouth. He flicked my nipple with his tongue, while he was squeezing my breast with his hand. I started squirming in pleasure. I trailed my hand down his stomach and tried to take off his belt. He grabbed my wrists. Just like he did in my dream.

This gave me an idea. I pulled my wrists from his grasp and hooked my thumbs under the band of my underwear. He was looking at me curiously. I pulled down my underwear and heard him groan. I wiggled my legs until my panties were on the floor.

I moved my hands up and started playing with my breasts. His eyes grew wide as he watched me. He leaned back on his knees and undid his belt. His eyes never left my body. I slowly moved my hands down my stomach, working my way towards my pussy. I opened my legs and slid my hand inside, rubbing my clit with my index and middle finger. I let out a loud moan.

"Oh my God, Bella" he groaned. He quickly was unbottining his pants, pulling them down along with his boxers. His dick sprung free and it was so hard and so big. He was rubbing his hand up and down his length.

"Mmm, I'm so wet for you" I whispered. And his mouth crashed on mine, his hard dick pressing into my hip. I put my hand on his neck and gently pushed his face away from mine.

I slowly ran my hand up between our bodies and ran my wet finger along his bottom lip, making it wet with my juices. He grabbed my wrist and shoved my fingers in his mouth, sucking them clean.

"Bella you taste so good" he whispered in my ear, still holding onto my wrist.

I took my other hand and gripped his dick firmly. I ran my hand up and down. He moaned and pinned my arm over my head. I leaned up to whisper in his ear "fuck me, Edward" I paused "fuck me, _hard_".

He looked me in my eyes, "FUCK!" he yelled " I don't have a condom!"

I laughed "I'm on the pill."

Then with one swift movement he slammed inside of me and I screamed "Oh God!"

He pulled out a bit and slammed back into me, thrusting his hips rhythmically in and out. He grabbed my other hand and pinned it above my head. Holding my arms down with one hand, he put the other on my hip.

I was rocking my hips back and forth, meeting him thurst for thrust. I wrapped my legs around his waist so he could enter me deeper. He was hitting me at the best angle. I moaned, loud. His dick was so hard, moving in and out of me, I clenched tighter.

"Oh, fuck Bella, you feel so good" He was slamming into me and I could feel my orgasm building.

He was moaning, and he let go of my wrist, he grabbed my hips with both of his hands, pulling my ass off the bed while simultaneously slamming into me. I propped myself up on my elbows to better our position.

He was pumping in and out of me, fast, there was a layer of sweat across his forehead. "Fuck, baby, I'm going to cum soon, you feel so good"

He wrapped his arm around my ass holding me up and started rubbing my clit with his thumb.

I was squeezing my breasts, rolling my nipples through my thumbs and index fingers.

"Baby, I love watching you play with yourself" he moaned.

He slammed into me harder and I was screaming with pleasure as my orgasm shook through my body.

As soon as I came, so did Edward. He fell on top of my body, crushing me with his weight. It felt good. We were both panting and his body was slick with sweat. I still had my legs wrapped around him and I slid my feet down his over his ass, stopping when my ankles were on top of his calves. I ran my fingers through the back of his hair.

"Holy fuck, that was amazing" he whispered in my ear. He nestled his head in the crook of my shoulder.

"Yeah" was all I could say, I was still breathing heavy. He started sucking and nipping at my neck.

"mmmmm" I moaned. I ran my nails lightly across his back.

The front door slammed shut. "Bella? Are you home? You left your shoes outside the front door, you drunk whore!" I heard Ang yell.

Edwards head snapped up and he looked at me. We both froze. Shit!

"UM. Yeah Ang! I'm in my room. I'm going to sleep! I'll see you tomorrow!" I yelled. Damn it! She's going to know something's up.

I heard her call out, it sounded like she was in the kitchen.. "OK! Just making sure you got home safe! I'm going to be at Bens! See you tomorrow!" I heard the door shut.

"That was close", I smiled at Edward.

He nuzzled his head into my neck, kissing me softly "Yeah. I'm glad she didn't barge in here, I don't want to have to leave yet." He was licking and sucking on my collarbone.

I was giddy with excitement! "I don't want you to leave yet either" I yawned.

He rubbed his nose against my neck "Mmm. Baby, did I wear you out?"

"MMhhmmm" was all I could muster.

I felt Edwards body leave mine and I tried to pull him back to me. He laughed as he pulled the covers out from under me so we could curl up under them.

Edward laid on the bed beside me, I was instantly thankful I had a queen sized bed, and I turned on my side, pressing my ass against his dick and wiggled it just for good measure.

"Miss Swan, if you don't stop shaking that sexy ass against me, you won't be sleeping for the rest of the night" I pushed my ass against him harder and moved it slowly up and down as he grabbed my hips.

"Go to sleep" he whispered in my ear, "we'll finish this in the morning." He kissed my neck and wrapped his arms around me.

Before I knew it, I was asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

*** ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

**** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This is USE TO BE Chapter 11!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

_Beep…. Beep…. Beep…. Beep…Beep…Beep_

_What the hell is that beeping…. Oh my God…. Everything hurts. I felt like I got hit by a car... Which could be a possibility… What is that noise? It's so loud and my head hurts so much…OH MY GOD! I'M IN THE HOSPITAL!_

My eyes shot open and I looked around. Ok, phew. I'm in my room. What the FUCK is beeping? God, it's so loud but it doesn't sound like it's coming from my room? I'll just ignore it. I'm in too much pain and too nauseous to go check it out. Plus, I have a million questions running through my head.

Why am I so sore? What happened last night? How did I get home? Ok Bella, start from the top.

I took stock of my body. My head hurts, well that's because I drank too much.

My hands hurt, I looked at my palms and they were all scraped up. Weird.

My knee's hurt, I pulled off the covers. Ok, I'm naked but I'll come back to that.

I looked at my knees and they were covered in bandages. Ok, I must have fell. That explains the knees and cut up palms. One down.

Now, what happened last night?

Mike picked me up for dinner…. Jake ignored me… I drank a lot…. I saw Edward…. Oh no. Edward!

I had flashbacks of him pinning my arms about my head, slamming into me as I screamed in pleasure. Oh God, I had sex with my boss. Now I know why I'm naked. This is so bad.

I'm going vomit. I ran to the bathroom, ass naked, and threw up everything. Hmm. When did I eat Swedish Fish? Whatever. I had bigger fish to fry. No pun intended.

I had sex with my boss. Wait! Where did he go? I ran back out to my bedroom, ok he's defiantly not in here. I looked in the living room, no sign of him. He wasn't in the kitchen either.

The realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. He did the dip.

I want to die. I had drunken sex with my boss; he obviously regretted it and left before he had to face me. I'm going to be sick again. I ran back to the bathroom but there was nothing left in my stomach. I just sat there, dry heaving and crying.

Something gold caught my eye in the corner of the bathroom. My clutch! I opened it up and dug out my phone. Maybe Edward texted me saying he was sorry for leaving but he had to be somewhere this morning. I wiped away a tear.

Damn, its 2 o'clock?

Wow. I had 57 missed calls, 22 text messages and 17 voice mails? One of these had to be from Edward, it was just statistics.

At least I figured out what that beeping noise was. If Edward fires me, maybe I could become a detective.

I looked at the calls and the majority of them were from Mike. I remember kissing him last night, well, that's going to be an awkward conversation. I need to stop drinking, maybe then I wouldn't be in these predicaments.

There were several missed calls from Jake, two from Angela and one from Rosalie. Shit, what did that bitch want?

I looked at my text messages. Again most of them were Mike.

I'm sorry about the drink.

R u in the bathroom?

Bella. Where r u?

Are u still here?

B. Where did u go?

Call me. I'm worried?

BELLA!

What a stalker! I just deleted the rest of the messages from Mike without even reading them. Then I saw I had three texts from Jake! One was at 11:45 PM:

Hey beautiful. Sorry I missed your call- I'll be there in twenty min!

Oh my God! He tried to show up! He probably couldn't get in! That's why he called me so many times! I'm such an asshole! The next message was at 12:20 AM:

Haven't heard from u? I'm here. Can't believe I can't get a beer. Where r u?

Those fucking Heartinis. I wanted to slap that bartender. I guess it wasn't his fault I felt this way though... Wait, how did he get into the party? The next text was at 1:30 AM:

I guess u can't hear ur phone bc its so loud. I've been looking 4 u? CALL ME.

Oh, I feel horrible. But my ego feels much better than he didn't stand me up! I'll have to call him today after I sort out this whole thing with Edward. Ugh. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

I checked my voicemail. Most of them again, were from Mike. I deleted them as soon as I heard his voice.

Then there were two from Jake, saying he was at the club and wanted to know where I was. I saved those messages.

Then, there was a voicemail from Rosalie that really confused me. "Bella. You're on page six. Call me ASAP." She sounded worried. Page six? What does that mean? I'll have to think about that later.

Edward didn't try to contact me, he just left. I felt like a deflated balloon.

I needed a shower. I turned the water on and made it really hot; I washed my hair and my body, being very careful when I cleaned over my knees. I really did a number on them. The hot water felt wonderful on my aches and pains, though.

I let my mind drift back to Edward. I can't believe he just ran out this morning, without even talking to me about what happened. How could he do that? I wonder who initiated the sex? What if I threw myself on him? I had a horrible, sinking feeling in my stomach. NO, NO, NO, NO! That's probably why he left! I must have forced him to have sex with me! This is bad, this is so bad.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was sobbing so hard I had to sit down. How can I face him on Monday? Wait, that's if I even have a job still? I must have sat in the shower for a long time, crying because eventually the water turned cold. Still sobbing, I got out of the shower and dried my body off, wrapping my hair in a towel.

I was walking back into my room when I heard the door open. "Honey! I'm home!" Well someone sounded happy.

"Hi!" I called out, trying to make my voice as steady as possible. I was just standing in the middle of the hallway.

She walked towards me and her eyes grew wide "Bella! What the fuck happened to your neck?" she looked up at my face "Wait, are you crying?"

I sniffled and instinctively grabbed my neck "What? Am I bleeding!" My voice cracked. I was patting my neck to make sure everything felt like it was in place.

Ang walked over and pulled my hand away "Bella, you have hickeys all over your neck! What are we fourteen? Who still gives hickeys nowadays?" She studied my face, obviously seeing how upset I was because she quickly changed course "Are you alright? Did something happen to you last night?"

I ran over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror through teary eyes. "Oh my God" it came out as a whisper. I counted them and I had six hickeys ALL OVER my neck. Why the hell would he give me hickeys? I felt like white trash.

I saw Angela appear in the mirror behind me looking confused and worried all in one. "Bella! Spill! You're scaring me!"

I held up a finger, signaling I needed a minute to try and pull myself together enough to tell her what happened. She pulled me into a hug. "Shhh. Bella, it's ok." She was rubbing my back. She just held me and let me cry.

I started crying harder because I didn't even know if I could tell her. I signed that non disclosure agreement and surely having sex with Edward would fall into the category of something that would be considered nondisclosurable material.

But I _had_ to tell her. I needed help sorting everything out. I couldn't keep this a secret, it was too big. She wouldn't tell anyone, she's my best friend. But just to make sure, I'll make her pinky promise.

I pushed away from her a bit, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "You have to pinky promise not to tell anyone" I held out my pinky that didn't have snot all over it "I'm serious. I signed a nondisclosure agreement and I could be in serious trouble for what I'm about to tell you." Technically, I really had no idea what kind of trouble I would be in if Edward found out, but I'll cross that bridge when the time comes. If it ever comes.

She linked her pinky with mine. "Bella, I wouldn't tell a soul, pinky promise or no pinky promise. Is everything ok, I'm really worried about you?"

I took a deep breath, well here goes nothing. "IhadsexwithEdward." It came out so rushed, it sounded like one word.

Angela looked like I told her the sky was blue. "Ok, bear with me here, but didn't you want to have sex with Edward? Why is this bad?"

I spoke quickly, trying to get this out as fast as possible. "Because I woke up this morning and he was gone. No note, no text, no call, no NOTHING! I'm not even really sure who initiated the sex, I was so drunk, I know it's not really an excuse but I think I might have forced myself on him or something? That's why he just got up and left without even speaking to me first. I mean, I think this is a really big thing and we probably should have had a discussion about it? Am I overreacting here?"

I answered my own question before Angela could even reply "No, I'm not! I mean you would think that he would want to discuss this, seeing how HE IS MY BOSS. I'm really worried to go into work on Monday; I'm probably going to be unemployed. What am I going to tell my parents?"

She just looked at me for awhile, processing everything I said. "Ok. From what I saw last night, when I walked up to you at the club, he was holding your hand looking at you like you were a cool drink on a hot day, _while_ his girlfriend was rubbing all over him." She paused "So, judging from that, it was probably consensual. Anyway, you couldn't possibly have _forced _him to have sex with you. It's physically impossible. He's like six feet tall and has probably seventy pounds on you."

Thank God for Angela. That did make a lot of sense. He would have just told me to get off, right? "Ok. That makes a lot of sense. But it still doesn't account for why he just left."

"Hmm. I don't know either. Maybe he was just scared?" She seemed as puzzled as I was.

"Yeah. I could really use a guy's perspective on this, but I can't talk to Mike about it and that's not even because of the NDA."

"Why can't you tell them?" Angela was confused.

"Because I made out with Mike last night, too" I felt really guilty about that.

Angela smiled "You little slut, you!"

I laughed. "I really need to stop drinking. Look at the shit I get myself into…"

Angela snorted.

I was laughing, hard. "Yeah, who am I kidding?" It felt so good to laugh after crying all morning. "Are you hungry? Want to get something to eat?"

Her face lit up! "Yeah! I'm starved. But can I take a shower quick? I'll be ten minutes!"

"Yeah, that's fine!" I walked into my bedroom as Angela went in the bathroom to take a shower. I remembered my phone and bag were still in there, I'll just get them later.

My room looked like a bomb went off in it. My clothes were haphazardly thrown all over and everything that was on my nightstand was now in a pile on the floor. My makeup was scattered all around too. I quickly piled up all my clothes and threw them into my laundry basket and set my stuff back on the nightstand. I didn't even bother putting away my makeup.

I dropped my towel, put on some underwear and a bra. I threw on my comfiest pair of skinny jeans and a long sleeved grey shirt that I layered over a white cami. My hair was pretty much dry so I just threw it up in a messy bun. I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked like shit. My eyes were all red and puffy and the bright purple hickeys that were scattered all over my neck really contrasted with my pale skin. It looks like I'll be wearing scarves for the next couple of days.

I put on some foundation and a little bit of mascara. I didn't even bother with my lashes, instead I put on a pair of fake glasses that I got from Urban Outfitters, they somewhat concealed the fact my eyes were so puffy. I heard Angela come out of the shower just as I was wrapping a knitted navy scarf around my neck. I put on a pair of black converse and walked into the bathroom to grab my phone and clutch.

I figured I should probably text Mike and ask him if we could talk later. He texted me back, literally after five seconds:

Yeah. What happened to u last night? Just come up to my apartment then. I'll be here all day.

I put the stuff from my clutch back into my Birkin when Angela poked her head into my room "You ready?"

"Yeah. I just need to put on my coat!" I looked around my room but couldn't find it. I walked out to the living room and it wasn't in there either, or in the kitchen. "Shit. I must have left my jacket at the club!"

"It probably doesn't open until later tonight; I'll go over with you to pick it up if you want?" She said.

"Ok thank you! Just let me grab a sweater" I ran into my room and put on a chunky black sweater and switched my scarf so I was wearing a knitted black and white striped one.

"Let's go, girlfriend!" We walked out of the apartment and to a diner two blocks away. I felt so much better after I ate a Taylor Ham, egg and cheese bagel and had a cup of coffee. We both recapped our Valentine's Days over our food, since we didn't really get to talk about it much yesterday.

We sat at the table, drinking the rest of our coffee when Angela asked a question she must have been dying to ask all day. "So, you never told me, how was the sex?" she gave me the biggest smile and I threw a packet of sugar at her.

I was laughing "Honestly? I don't really remember much of it, but I am so freaking _sore_ that it must have been rough" I wiggled my eyebrows "And I do like rough!"

We burst into a fit of giggles and my phone started ringing. It was Rosalie. I mouthed to Angela who was calling and answered the phone.

"Hellooo" I said

"Bella! Did you get my message?" She asked.

Well hello to you too. "Oh yeah, sorry I've had a busy morning. I didn't understand it though, page six of what?"

She sighed "_Page Six_.." she was speaking to me like I didn't know English "you know, like the gossip section in the New York Post? There is a very unflattering picture of you with Edward Cullen…"

My mouth fell open and I was speechless. Angela looked concerned. "What do you mean unflattering? I managed to ask.

"Bella, I'm not going to get into this with you, you are a grown women. You should go pick up a copy of the Post." She paused. "I tried to warn you about shit like this but you didn't listen to me-"

I cut her off. "Rose. I don't need a lecture right now. I will call you back when I see the paper. Goodbye." I hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Angela asked.

"Apparently there is an 'unflattering'" I made quotation marks with my fingers "picture of me and Edward in the New York Post" My stomach was uneasy and I was worried that my breakfast was going to make a second appearance.

"Oh shit! Let's go get that paper!" Angela was already digging in her purse for money.

We left forty dollars on the table, not even bothering to wait for change and we ran to the corner market to get the paper.

Still standing in the store, I ripped the paper open to Page Six.

"OH MY GOD" Staring back at me, on the front page of Page Six, was a very large picture of me and Edward, except I looked more like Courntey Love than myself. My hair was all disheveled, my eyes were half open and it looked as if Edward was the only thing that was keeping me upright. One hand was securely around my waist as the other was holding onto my arm. The caption that accompanied the picture was no better:

"Heartbreaker of the Year: Edward Cullen ditches Reality GF for mystery brunette on Valentine's Day. See _StupidCupid_ for story"

I could only imagine what they wrote. I flipped to the page and saw a picture of Tanya and Edward on a red carpet.

* * *

_Last night, at the Tada Network's Valentine's Day Soiree, love was not in the air for celebrity couple Edanya. Though the couple showed up to the party together (picture above), looking all lovey-dovey, one half of Edanya left the party broken hearted. Sources that spoke with Tanya on the red carpet before the party say she was gushing about the romantic day Edward had planned for her. Apparently, he sent her several dozen of roses throughout the day and even surprised her with a 50K diamond bracelet from Cartier, which she showed off proudly. Though, that happiness didn't last for much longer. Edward was spotted with a mystery brunette (picture on cover) and sources say the mystery woman was pursuing Edward for most of the evening. The pair was spotted getting hot and heavy in a corner and when Tanya caught the two, she left the party distraught. Tanya's reps asked that the public respect her privacy during this difficult time. Edward's reps couldn't be reached for comment._

* * *

I was speechless. They portrayed me as a home wrecking slut. At least they didn't print my name. Tears ran down my cheeks.

Angela was rubbing my back "At least they don't know who you are. The picture could really be any brunette, it doesn't even look like you." I know she was just trying to make me feel better. Of course it looked like me. "You should really call him." She said.

I was wiping away the tears "Do I have to?" I walked to the cashier to buy a copy of the paper.

Angela was trailing behind me "Yeah, Bella. This" she pointed to the paper "is a big deal. You can't ignore it."

She was right. I paid for the paper and dug out my phone from the bottom of my purse "here goes nothing." I dialed Edward's number and he answered on the second ring.

"Bella?" He sounded anxious.

I tried to steady my voice "Hi Edward" was all I could manage.

"I'm guessing you saw the Post?"

"Yeah"

"Are you busy? We, uh, really should talk about this…"

I sniffled and wiped away a stray tear "Yeah. Should I come to your apartment?"

He paused for a moment "Yeah, we probably shouldn't go out in public together."

"Ok, I'll be there in twenty minutes." I hung up the phone without saying goodbye and turned to Angela, hoping to hear some encouraging words.

"Bella. Everything is going to be ok. By tomorrow there will be some other celebrity crisis and everyone will have forgotten all about you" she smiled at me.

God, I hope she was right. "Ok. Wish me luck…."

She pulled me in a tight hug and as I walked away she smacked my ass "Go get 'em tiger!"

It made me feel slightly better.

When I walked off the elevator in Edward's apartment, I was a ball of nerves. I saw Edward sitting on the couch in the living room and he waved me over.

I sat down and tucked my legs to my chest, resting my chin on top of my knees. I threw down the paper.

Edward spoke first "Bella. I'm really sorry. About all of this"

All of this? Does that include having sex with me? I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding. "Be more specific" was all I said.

He looked at me and his expression softened "For this" he pointed to the paper "and for what happened afterwards."

So he did regret it. That hurt, bad. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying. I told myself on the subway ride over here that I would not cry in front of him.

"Yeah, me too." It was a bold faced lie but I wasn't going to admit that to him. If he wanted to play it this way, well so would I. The only thing I had left was my pride, so I rolled with it. "Look. We are both adults. We had too much to drink and made a mistake."

For a second, he looked like I slapped him but he quickly regained his composure "Where do we go from here?" he asked.

Fuck. Why couldn't he just pin me down on the couch so we could have sex again? I would at least like to have some kind of idea of how unfuckingbelievable it was. "Well. First, did you tell Tanya what happened?"

He looked down at his feet "No. She called me a bunch of times but I didn't answer."

What a little bitch, he at least owed this girl an explanation, even if she was a horrendous wench. Then, I got an idea.

"Ok. Good. She knows I'm your assistant right? Maybe you don't have to tell her about…" I paused "you know… Maybe you can just tell her that I got drunk and you made sure I got home safe?" Did people really do that? Well for all intents and purposes, Edward did that.

Please baby Jesus, let him agree to this. I really don't need the NYP to keep snooping into my life. The last thing I wanted was to have someone Google my name and the phrase 'home wrecking whore' pop up with that horrible picture of me.

His head snapped up "You want me to lie to her?"

Jesus. Did he really have to get all morally correct on me now? "Look. It obviously was a mistake and isn't going to happen again…" I paused, slightly hoping he would object to my last comment but he didn't, so I continued "and there is no sense ruining your relationship over something that should have never happened in the first place. Plus, I really don't need the whole world thinking of me as a home wrecker…" I was looking at him and he was looking anywhere but at me.

After a long awkward silence, he turned to me "Is that what you want?"

"Yes" I lied.

"Ok then." He nodded at me.

"So" I said.

"So…. Umm... this probably isn't the best time to bring this up, but um." He ran his hand through his hair and let out of a puff of air "I… uh. I got a call this morning about an audition I had a while back… and I got the part."

Of all the things I was expecting him to say, this wasn't even in the top ten. "Oh! Congratulations! What's the movie called?"

He smiled "The working title is called 'Lost Boys'… it's a Judd Apatow movie… and it um… we start preproduction on Thursday."

"Wow! That's great, Edward, really!" I didn't really know what to say, this was such an awkward turn of events.

"Yeah… um... the thing is though… that it's…it's in Los Angeles." He was looking down at his feet again.

Wow. Los Angeles. Well he's definitely not going to ask me to go to LA with him, so I'm definitely getting fired. "So, you don't need me to be your assistant anymore?" I was really trying hard not to cry. I should win a freaking Oscar for the performance I'm giving right now.

"Oh. No, I'll still need a PA. I mean if you still want the job after everything... It's just that I really won't need you to do much once I leave. All you will have to do is reschedule everything I have for the next three months and get my fan mail."

I felt like the ground fell out beneath my feet. THREE MONTHS. He was leaving for three months? That means he won't be back until May. I wondered if he was making this whole movie roll up because he didn't want to be around me after what happened.

I felt my facade start to melt. I needed to get out of here quickly before I had a major meltdown. "Oh… Well I do need the job… So, I'll rearrange your schedule. And do you need me to make travel arrangements for your trip to LA?" I stood up, smoothing out my jeans and grabbing my bag off the floor.

"Yeah, can you book me on a flight for Tuesday afternoon? I'd prefer to fly out of JFK and if you could arrange a car service to take me to JFK and to pick me up in LA? I'll also need you to come by on Monday and help me pack if you don't mind…"

God. This guy was business as usual. How can he be so nonchalant about this? Then it hit me. He must fuck all his PA's. That's why I had to sign the nondisclosure agreement; he said it was for his own protection. What a fucking _jerk off_. I feel like such a fool.

I started walking towards the door so he couldn't see the tear that fell down my cheek "No problem. I have to get going. I'll book your flight today and email you conformation. Umm. Yeah. Just email me anything else you need me to do."

I pressed the button for the elevator, not even bothering to turn around. It arrived and I quickly wiped the tears from my face. When the doors were sliding shut, I turned around and I saw Edward standing on the other side.

I left Edward's building a crying mess for the second time in less than 24 hours. I decided to walk all the way back to SoHo and when I got to my apartment I was glad that Angela wasn't there. I couldn't face talking to anyone, instead I put my phone on silent, stripped off my clothes and curled up into bed.

When I woke up, my room was completely pitch black, I looked at my phone and it was 3 AM. I had a couple texts from Mike:

Hey. Didn't u wanna talk?

B. Where do u keep disappearing to?

What the fuck Bella?

I completely forgot about Mike. I noticed the last text he sent me was 30 minutes ago. So I texted him back:

R u s till up?I'm so sorry! I fell asleep. :(

He texted me back right away.

Yeah. I'm still up...

Well, looks like now is as good a time as any.

I'll be there in 5 minutes.

As I put on my clothes I was silently praying he didn't think that this was a booty call. I wrapped my scarf around my neck and headed out of the apartment, pausing to grab my key. I wasn't really nervous as I took the elevator up to Mike's apartment but I was kind of looking forward to having this conversation with him. It was long overdue.

I knocked quietly on his door and he answered it wearing nothing but a pair of lounge pants. His ab's would have gave The Situation a run for his money.

"Hi. Is Ben sleeping?" I said shyly.

"No. They're both in your apartment" He said.

Oh. I had no idea. He gestured for me to come in and we sat on the big, black leather couch.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you at 3:30 in the morning?" he smiled

I took a deep breath and started talking, knotting my hands together "Well. I just wanted to apologize for kissing you last night. I think I just got caught up in the whole Valentine's Day thing and then I'm sorry for yelling at you too."

He was rubbing his hand up and down his abs "Bella. It's no big deal. Don't worry about it" he was smiling at me.

I took another breath and looked up at him "Yeah, I mean, I just didn't want it to affect our friendship because I really like you, as a friend" I added hastily so he didn't get the wrong idea "it's just with the date and everything, I just don't want you to get the wrong impression of what this is." I was pointing back and forth between us.

Whew. That felt good to get it off my chest.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees "Oh" was all he said.

I didn't know what else to say, so we just sat there in silence. Then he started laughing "Well. That makes what I wanted to tell you a lot easier." he said.

My head snapped up and looked at him quizzically? "Mike! Were you going to dump me too?" I was pretending like I was hurt.

He laughed again. "Yeah! I ended up meeting this girl last night, she's a producer on Tanya's show" I cringed at the mention of her name "Anyway, my sister and Tanya are good friends and Lauren introduced me to her and we kind of just hit it off... She uh, she actually ended up coming home with me last night."

I laughed and swatted his arm playfully "Mike! You're such a player! What's her name?"

He ran a hand through his hair "Her name is um... Jessica Stanley. You know her?"

How the hell would I know her? "No. I don't but I'm sure she is a great girl. I'm really happy for you Mike!"

After that he let out a yawn and I felt guilty that I was keeping him up. I stood up "Well. I don't want to keep you up, but I'm glad we could clear the air."

We both hugged and Mike walked me to the door. "Yeah me too. Hey, you were still a great Valentine. Even if you did disappear on me" He smiled as I waved and walked out.

I guess he didn't see the Post or else he wouldn't be thinking so highly of me! I stood for the elevator, happy that this conversation ended better than I expected it to.

I couldn't help but wonder that in such a big city as New York, how all our lives managed to get so intertwined. Being friends with the Newton guys and them being friendly with Tanya. Then, me working for Tanya's boyfriend... and me sleeping with him. Now, Mike hooking up with one of Tanya's producers. What a small freaking world.


	8. Chapter 8

*** ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

**** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This IS COMPLETELY NEW!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

I walked back into my apartment and I was overcome by anxiety. All the people around me were starting to couple off, Angela and Ben, and now Mike and this Jessica chick. Well, technically, they only hooked up once but seeing his reaction made me think about Edward's complete opposite reaction to hooking up with me.

Hearing how excited Mike was about this girl is how a guy _should_ react. He shouldn't tell her he regrets it and then move to the opposite coast for three months. I couldn't believe how much I royally fucked up.

I looked in my nightstand for my Klonopin prescription. I haven't needed to take them since the dark ages but I was on the verge of a panic attack and all I wanted to do was sleep for days. Forget this job with Edward, I don't give a shit anymore, I just needed to check out for awhile. I took a pill and fell into a peaceful sleep.

_Bella….. Bella…. Wake up. Its five o'clock….. Bella….._

Huh? Why is my bed shaking? I was in such a haze, wait I'm being shaken. "Bella! Wake up! Its five o'clock in the evening. You've been sleeping forever!" I heard Angela's voice.

"Errrrrrrmm." I tried to pull the covers over my head.

"Oh no you don't!" She pulled the covers away from my face "What happened with Edward? You've been sleeping since yesterday afternoon, you need to wake up." She wasn't giving up that easily.

Damn it. I kicked the covers off and rubbed my face. I felt terrible, I forgot how weird Klonopin makes me feel.

I heard Angela leave the room and she walked back in a couple minutes later with a cup of coffee and plain bagel that was toasted with butter. "Sit up." Man she was so bossy.

I sat up and she handed me the cup of coffee, placing the bagel on my nightstand. "I see you started taking Klonopin again" she gestured to the bottle sitting on my nightstand.

I took a bite of my bagel; I didn't feel like explaining myself to her.

"Listen Bella. I know this is not what you are going to want to hear but you can't just close yourself off when the going gets tough." She sighed "I know when your mom got cancer, you took it really hard and you shut down. Now, I can't imagine what you were going through and I don't want you to think I'm trying to brush over anything you were feeling because I'm not. I just want to tell you what I was going through during that time."

I took a sip of my coffee and looked at her. This wasn't good.

She pulled her legs up to her chest and continued. "I was so worried about you. You are my best friend and we would talk every day. Even after we graduated, we still managed to keep in touch regularly. But then your mom got sick and I would talk to you every once in awhile and even then you didn't seem like yourself. You're always so happy go lucky and carefree and then when I would hear from you, I could barely get a sentence out of you and when I would try to tell you something, it was like you weren't even hearing me. You were just like a shell of your old self."

I was crying now and she started rubbing my shoulder "I thought about you every day, trying to think of a way to make it all better, to get you back to yourself. I even talked with your mom and we planned for me to come stay with you guys. I just wanted you to realize that even though something horrible is happening, life goes on; and you did, you slowly started coming back to life. It's like you realized that everything was still happening around you and it wasn't doing you any good to lock yourself away."

By this time we were both crying but Angela kept on going "I was so pissed at myself for waiting so long to help you and I promised myself that if this were to ever happen again, I would do everything in my power to stop it before it got as bad as it was. So, I'm giving you an intervention. I don't want you to disappear again; you don't realize how much I need you."

We just sat there, crying. She never told me that before. I mean, I knew she asked my mom to come stay with us but I didn't realize why at the time. God, how could I be so dense sometimes?

I wiped away my tears and told her what happened yesterday. "Edward told me he regretted having sex with me and that he's moving to LA on Tuesday. He got cast in a movie." I said, wiping away tears. Saying it out loud made me feel like a fool. Was I really going to hide out over some asshole? Why was I so obsessed with this guy? He's just another son of a bitch who only cares about himself.

I started laughing and Angela looked at me like I was insane "What are you laughing about?" she said and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose.

Once my laughing fit stopped, I spoke. "I just realized how ridiculous it sounds. This guy is the biggest douche bag I've ever met in my life, bigger than James Russo!" we both laughed, "I didn't dwell over James being a cheating bastard, so why should I let Edward make me so miserable? The damage has already been done, I slept with him and now I need to move on. There are millions of men in this city. So why am I going to stress over some asshole who was too much of a coward to even talk to his girlfriend today!"

Angela let out a whooping noise! "Yeah, girl! Now this is the Bella I know and love! We all make mistakes, we all do things we regret, but that's life! We just need to pick up the pieces and make the best picture we can with what we've got left."

I set my coffee down and pulled Angela into the biggest hug. "Thank you Ang. For everything you did before and everything you're doing now. I think I do have an idea of how much you need me because I need you just as much. I really love you." I was seriously lucky to have a great friend like Angela.

We pulled away and I took a bite of my bagel and offered her the other half, she took it. I held up my bagel, "I would just like to make a toast" she looked at me and laughed.

"Here is to best friends, I would be seriously lost without you." We tapped our bagels together and ate in comfortable silence.

"So" Angela said "Edward is moving to LA, huh? Does that mean you're out of a job?" She looked nervous to ask the question, like it would send me over the edge.

"Yeah, he got a part in a Judd Apatow movie and even though he's going to be gone for awhile, he said he still needs a PA, so I still have a job…"

I was kind of confused about this. It was almost too good to be true.

Angela looked skeptical "Are you serious? What are you suppose to do for him?"

I laughed "Get this, while he's gone all I have to do is reschedule everything he has planned for the next couple months and get his fan mail twice a week. I mean, I still have to do a couple of things before he leaves, which reminds me I was suppose to book his plane ticket yesterday…" I walked over to grab my computer and brought it back to the bed "Anyway, I guess I'm pretty lucky I won't have to see his smug face for awhile."

Angela laughed. "Get out! You are _so_ freaking lucky! He's still going to pay you the same amount and everything?"

I was nodding my head. "Yeah, as far as I know he is. I can't believe it but I can say I am glad I won't have to see him for awhile." Because I'm sure all my feelings of hatred will disappear once I see his gorgeous face tomorrow. I didn't tell Angela this though, I was trying to be strong. It was only a little lie of omission.

Angela nodded at me "Well. I'll let you book his ticket. I have to look over some lesson plans; I start my temp position tomorrow, subbing for the woman on maternity leave!" She did a little dance. Angela got hired at the school she interviewed with and though she doesn't become a full time teacher until the next school year, she has been substituting on and off for the last couple weeks. I was really happy for her because I know how much she wanted that job.

"Look at us. Who would have thought only a couple weeks ago we were bartenders and now were both living the dream!" we both giggled.

"Yeah, some of us more than others!" She poked me in my side and stood up to leave my room.

"Hey Ang." I said "Thank you again, really."

She smiled. "Anytime, baby doll, anytime." She walked out of the room and closed my door.

I grabbed my laptop and opened Safari. I booked Edward's flight, paying for it with my black card. I grabbed my phone and dialed the number for the car service and booked him a car to JFK then I called another company and booked him a car to pick him up in LA. I grabbed my computer again and opened up Gmail to send Edward the details.

* * *

8:18 PM  
From: Isabella Swan  
To: Edward Cullen  
Subject: Flight

Hi Edward. I booked you on a nonstop flight from JFK to LAX. You're in first class and your flight takes off at 4:30. The car will pick you up at 1:45 to take you to JFK. I also booked you a car to pick you up from LAX, I wasn't sure where the car was taking you so I didn't tell them anything. I attached a copy of your flight information. See you tomorrow.

Bella

* * *

I hit send and felt a little bit better. Angela was right; it doesn't do me any good to lock myself away. I suddenly thought back to what Rosalie said when I first told her about working for Edward. I owed her an apology, she essentially tried to warn me about Edward, but I didn't listen. I grabbed my phone to text her.

Hey Ro. Want to grab dinner this week? I need to talk to u about something? Nothing bad- just want to catch up. Let me know! xoxo

I set my phone down and ate the rest of my bagel. I turned on the TV and saw there was a Jersey Wives marathon on Tada. It was an episode where the women went on a cruise to the Bahamas' with their families. Mike and Ben were hilarious. They made up some drinking game and were hammered, trying to pull pranks on their sister, Lauren. After how she treated me at the Valentine's Day party, I was glad when the dumped a bucket of water on her head.

I checked my phone and saw I had an email.

* * *

8:45 PM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: Re:Flight

Bella. Thank you for everything. I'm really sorry about Friday but I want you to know, I had an amazing time with you. I'll see you tomorrow at 10.

Edward

* * *

I stared at the screen dumbfounded. _'I had an amazing time with you?_' I felt my anger start to melt but I quickly snapped out of it. I REFUSE to fall for this guy's mind games again, he may have charmed my panties off once but I know his game now. Knowledge is power, right? Edward is in a league of his own, the king of all D-bags. I decided I didn't even want to email him back. I realized I definitely owe Rosalie an apology.

I suddenly had cabin fever. I just needed to get out of the apartment, out of my room. I remembered my jacket was still at that club in Chelsea. So I Googled the club name and called them to see if they were open.

"Hello, 1 Oak." A girl answered the phone.

"Um, Hi. I was there the other night for the Tada Valentines party and I think I may have left a black JCrew jacket there. Do you guys still have it?"

"Can you hold on for one moment, let me check." She sounded pissed. Whatever girl, don't get mad at me because your job sucks.

"Hello? Yeah we have a black JCrew jacket here." Yay!

"Ok! Perfect. I'll be down in a little to get it. Thanks!" Well crisis averted.

I threw on some black leggings and a white tee shirt and threw a distressed jean jacket over it. I threw my hair up in a high pony tail and put on my fake glasses, my eyes were still a little puffy from my intervention with Angela. They were turning into a good investment. I threw on a black knitted scarf, slid my feet into my leather thigh highs and grabbed my cell phone and bag.

I poked my head into Angela's room. There were papers everywhere on her bed. "Hey. I need to get some air; I've been cooped up in my room for too long. I'm going to run down to 1 Oak and get my jacket."

"Do you want me to go with you?" She asked.

"No, its ok! You look really busy! I'll be back in a little while" She looked relieved.

I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, my breath was rank from sleeping over 24 hours.

I reached the street and lit up a cigarette, hanging around the outside of my building. I was hoping by doing this I would see Jake, he somehow always seems to appear while I'm smoking a cigarette. I felt really bad since I haven't spoken to Jake since Valentine's Day so I got my phone out to call him. Taking a deep breath, I pressed send.

He answered on the third ring "Well, well look who finally decided to call me back."

I felt horrible."Hi Jake. I'm really sorry about Valentine's Day. I ended up having a horrible night."

"Uh. Yeah. I saw" was all he said.

"Are you talking about the Post?" a cab blew its horn really loud.

"Are you outside right now?"

"Yeah. I um, left the party a little under the weather and I ended up leaving my jacket there so I was just about to go pick it up." Please take the bait! Please, please!

"Well, Bella, you know it's dangerous for a pretty woman to be walking around the city by herself at night." Yes!

"Hmm. Do you know any big, muscular men that would want to accompany me?" Please say yes! Please say yes!

"I would love to accompany you. Where are you at right now?"

"I'm outside my apartment building"

"Stay there. I'll be there in five minutes!" He hung up the phone.

Wahoo! I was really excited to see Jake but I was also somewhat nervous because he obviously saw the picture of me in the Post and I wanted to explain the situation to him. Well minus the having sex with my boss part. I figured I would just leave that out. Another lie of omission, oh well.

I finished my cigarette and I saw Jake walking down the street. He looked really cute. He was wearing a Giants t-shirt under a leather jacket with a pair of distressed jeans. He must be a huge Giants fan.

"Hey there stranger!" I was so happy to see him. I had to tell myself not to bounce up and down like a little kid.

"Hi pretty lady. How are you?" He kissed me on the cheek. Yay! We started to walk towards the subway and I linked my arm in his.

"I've had better days but I'm doing well. How are you doing?" His skin felt so hot against mine. It was nice on this cold night.

"I'm a little worn out. I had a tough workout today but I'm feeling much better now." He smiled down at me.

Ahh! He was so freaking sweet and charming and he just had this swagger about him that was so sexy! Plus he was HUGE, so I can only imagine how big other parts of him are. Hmm.. I let my mind wander…

When we were seated on the subway, he asked me the million dollar question. "So, I don't want to beat around the bush, what happened to you on Valentine's Day?"

I let out a sigh. "Well. Don't think I'm crazy. Ok?" I know this was probably not the best way to start the conversation but I didn't want him thinking I'm some psycho with a drinking problem. "Well. I went to dinner with my friends and I was still a little bummed out about the whole Valentine's Day thing, especially seeing my friend and her boyfriend so in love. Anyway, we all had a lot of wine at dinner and then I tried to call you and I didn't hear anything back, so I thought you were blowing me off. Then we got to the club and they had those stupid Heartini's and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and before I know it, I was wasted off my ass. Thankfully, I saw my boss and he ended up taking me home because I couldn't even stand up on my own…."

I let out a big sigh. "Then, The Post decided to run that ridiculous story and I kind of shut down for awhile." I felt bad lying to his face but I was hoping that our little flirtation would lead somewhere and I didn't want it to be over before it even got the chance to begin. Plus, with Edward leaving, it was the perfect opportunity.

He nodded. "Yeah I saw the Post. It wasn't the most flattering picture of you" he smiled and threw his arm around me "but I'm glad you told me what happened because I did think you were a bit of a home wrecker for awhile." He squeezed my shoulder and I slapped his leg.

"Yeah, you and the rest of the world!" I smiled.

"So, you work for Edward Cullen, huh?" ugh. I hope he didn't feel me flinch when he said his name.

"Yeah. I'm his PA. He's actually moving to LA on Tuesday…" I don't know why I felt the need to throw out this piece of information but I just wanted to make sure he knew Edward wasn't in the picture.

"So does that mean you're out of a job?" He looked concerned.

"Um. No. He's just going to film a movie for a couple of months so I still have a job. Anyway, what do you do?" I needed to change the subject fast.

We got off at the stop in Chelsea and he laughed. "Man. I hate to pull this card but you don't know who I am, do you? He gave me that megawatt smile.

"Uh. Should I?" I let out a nervous laugh.

He grabbed my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. "Do you watch football at all?"

What does football have to do with anything? "Not really. I mean my dad's a big Giants fan but he doesn't like me to be in the room with him while the games are on… he says I talk too much." I didn't really understand what football had to do with anything.

He let out a booming laugh and he stopped walking. "Bella. I'm the quarterback for the Giants."

My mouth must have hit the floor. It clicked. My dad has his jersey. "Black… you're Jacob Black." I was nodding my head and then I started laughing, hard. "Well I guess that's why you're always wearing Giant's stuff!"

He was laughing with me and gave my hand a tug, so we started walking again. We ended up getting my jacket and having a drink at the bar. It was so easy talking to Jake. I found out that he grew up in Washington in a small town called Forks, which it apparently rains constantly there. That really sucks. We talked about what we were like in high school and college. Jake obviously was a football player and he got a full ride to Notre Dame to play football and was drafted by the Giants after he graduated. He has two brothers; one is older than him and is his manager and his younger brother is in his second year of college at USC, playing football. We found out that we both like old science fiction movies. Maybe one day we could go to one of those old movie theaters and see a sci-fi marathon. I was giddy with anticipation.

Also, I found out that Jake has never been to the Jersey shore! I told him that I didn't think I could be his friend anymore unless he promised he would come to my family's shore house in Belmar this summer. Before I knew it, we were standing outside of my apartment building.

Then, I realized I didn't know anything thing about Edward. WHOA, where did that come from?

"Well Bella, I'm very glad you decided to call me this evening. I had a great time with you."

"I had a really good time too." PLEASE KISS ME! PLEASE KISS ME!

Then, he was leaning down and his lips were on my lips. They were so soft. Our lips moved together rhythmically and he made no move to put his tongue in my mouth. Which, I kind of was a little happy about because this just seemed more romantic, as a first kiss and all.

With one final peck on my lips, he pulled away. "Well, Miss Swan, would you like to grab dinner this week?" WOULD I!

"Yes, I would love to have dinner with you this week but it would have to be later in the week. I'm going to be busy with work with Edward moving and all…." UGH! Why did it always have to come back to that asshole?

"Well. Call me later this week then, ok?"

"Kay." Was all I managed to get out.

"Bye beautiful." He kissed my cheek and then he was walking down the street. AHHH! I ran into the building and hastily pressed the elevator button, cursing how slow it was.

I burst into our apartment "Ang! Are you still up!" I walked into the living room and I saw her and Ben snuggled on the couch.

"Hey! What took you so long, I was getting worried?"

"Well. You remember how I told you about Jake? Well, he came with me to get my jacket and we had a drink and we talked and I think I really like him!"

Angela looked skeptical. Probably because less than five hours ago I was heartbroken over Edward Cullen. But you know what they say; the best way to get over someone is by getting under someone else!

"Yeah, Bells, I'm happy for you! What's he do?" Well by the tone in her voice, she could of fooled me!

I was kind of embarrassed to tell her this… "Um… He actually plays for the Giants."

Ben's head snapped up "Wait, were you with JACOB BLACK?" He looked stunned.

"Um.. yeah. Actually I had no idea who he was; he just told me tonight that he plays for the Giants."

"Bella! ARE YOU SERIOUS! YOU HAVE TO INTRODUCE ME! I LOVE THAT GUY! I PICK HIM ON MY FANTASY TEAM EVERY YEAR! Holy shit, wait till I tell Mike he's gonna flip." He whipped out his phone from his pocket and started texting. Angela and I just rolled our eyes.

"Ok. Well let me go on a date with him first and then you can meet him! But um, I'm gonna head to bed guys, I'll see you tomorrow! Good luck on your first day of teaching Ang!"

We all said goodnight and I walked into my room, stripping off my clothes and putting on a big comfy t-shirt and a pair of flannel pants. I forgot how good it felt to sleep in actual clothes.

I lay in bed and was thinking about Edward and how I knew so little about him besides the fact that he is super sexy and a great kisser. We never really had a personal conversation besides him asking about my parents. I realize the only personal thing I knew about him is that he has a brother, Emmett.

So why did I have such a fascination with him if I knew absolutely nothing about him? Was it because he is a famous actor? Maybe I was hoping he would be some hopeless romantic, like some of the characters he plays? I started comparing Edward to Jake and I realized that they were complete opposites. Like fire and ice. Jake is warm and kind while Edward is an asshole with a hidden agenda.

I must have dozed off somewhere during my pro's and con's list of each guy. Dreams of Edward's kiss and Jake's warm touch hanuted me all night.


	9. Chapter 9

******* ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This use to be Chapter 10** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

I vaguely remember my alarm clock going off and I vaguely remember turning it off. So when I woke up at 8:45 in the morning, my first thought was 'I'm going to be late'!

I threw the covers off and ran into the shower. I hastily washed my hair and went to grab my coconut body wash but it reminded me too much of Edward, without realizing what I was doing I threw it out of the shower. I grabbed my Philosophy Sugar Chick instead. I quickly lathered up my body, rinsed off and washed my face. I jumped out of the shower and dried my body as I ran back to my room. I looked at the clock, it was 8:55. I needed to hurry!

I slept horribly last night. I was up practically up every hour because I was having the strangest dreams but when I try to remember what they were about, I draw a blank. God, I'm so tired.

I put on a black lace bra and matching panties and grabbed the clothes that were on my floor, it was the outfit I wore to the bar last night but whatever. I threw my wet hair up on the top of my head and wrapped it up in a tight bun. I ran down the hallway and quickly brushed my teeth.

I ran back into my room and threw on my leather thigh high boots. I grabbed a leopard print scarf from my closet and wrapped it around my neck a couple times, letting the tails hang down in the front. I looked in the mirror quickly and shuddered. I looked like death. I didn't have time to put on a full face of makeup, so I grabbed some tinted moisturizer and rubbed it all over my face. It did nothing to disguise the bags under my eyes but whatever. I grabbed the pair of Chanel sunglasses that I splurged on recently, I was thankful they took up my half my face, slid them on, grabbing my purse and phone as I ran out the door.

I ran the whole way to the subway, and once I reached Gramercy, I ran the whole way to Starbucks. I got Edward's drink and ordered myself a Venti coffee with two shots of espresso. I looked at my phone while I was waiting for the coffee, it was 9:45. Phew, I was able to take a breath.

I walked out of Starbucks towards Edward's building and I was bombarded by a group of three men who started taking pictures of me. They all started yelling at the same time:

"Is that her?" one man said.

"It's defiantly her!" a second man said.

"Miss, what's your name?" The first guy said.

"Do you feel guilty about taking another woman's man?" a third guy said.

"What's your relationship with Edward?" the second guy said.

I froze. I didn't know what to do. The paparazzi blockaded me from entering the building. I felt an arm grab me and I was pulled into the building. I looked to see who my savior was and it was Edward's door man. "Thank you" I managed to get out.

"I'm just sorry I didn't get there sooner, they've been hanging out here all morning" the doorman said. I walked towards the elevator with shaky legs, that whole experience really freaked me out. Why haven't these guys left me alone yet? Does this mean I'm going to be on the cover of the Post again? Oh my God! I look like crap!

I walked into Edward's apartment and he was on the phone, he immediately hung up and ran over to me, grabbing my shoulders "Are you alright? Did they hurt you? I'm so sorry Bella." He sounded furious, concerned and frightened all wrapped up in one. His eyes were looking over me as if he was checking to make sure all my parts were in the right place.

I pulled myself out of Edward's grasp; his concern was making me forget that I was supposed to hate him. I sat down in the chair next to the elevator. "I'm fine. I'm just a little shook up, I guess. Why are they still interested in me? Didn't one of you do something scandalous yet?" I handed him his coffee and took off my sunglasses, shoving them in my bag.

Edward studied my face, a little too long. "What are you looking at?" I snapped.

He seemed worried and kneeled down so he was looking up at me, he set his coffee next to him and rested his hands on my knees. "Bella, what's wrong? I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but you look horrible." _Gee thanks._

I suddenly had the urge to punch him in his beautiful face. Of course I don't look good. I had a wonderful evening with you, well I think I did at least, and then you tell me you regret it and then I have the whole country thinking I'm some huge slut. Does he expect _that_ to make me feel good?

"Well it's kind of hard to be all sunshine and lollipops when the whole country thinks you're a whore, so sorry if I don't look up to your standards right now, _Mr. Cullen" _It was a little aggressive but I needed him to stop pretending like he cared because I was starting to believe him.

He looked like I slapped him. Before he could say anything else I asked "So, what do you need me to do today?" I took a sip of my coffee.

He stood up, wiping his palms on his hands. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just use to the media and I forget that you have never been under their microscope before. I'm going to call my publicist today and have her make a statement. Hopefully it will get the attention off of you." He was pacing back and forth, he reminded me of the tigers at the Bronx Zoo.

I stood up, picking his coffee up off the ground and handed it to him as a peace offering "Thank you." I said. "So what do you want me to do? You're leaving tomorrow so I'm sure you have a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up." I instantly regretted my choice of words because all I could think about was Edward tying me up and ravishing me. I needed to stop that kind of thinking, pronto!

He stopped pacing and looked at me "Well, I did want you to go pick up some boxes so I could start packing but I'm not letting you leave, those scavengers are probably outside waiting for you. I'll call Emmett and have him get them. Meanwhile you can just help me start packing, I guess…."

Lovely. I was going to be trapped inside this apartment with Edward all day. I'd rather battle the paparazzi than battle my desire to stop hating him. "Ok. Do you want breakfast first or something?" I wasn't ready to be so close to him just yet.

"Yeah. Sure" he said.

I was starving since I didn't have time to eat anything this morning. "Ok. You go start packing and I'll make breakfast, I'll call you when it's ready." I hope he'd take the hint that I didn't want to be around him. I felt slightly guilty for being so rude to him but I just couldn't be next to him. There was this electricity between us and I already felt myself warming up to him.

He stalked off towards his room, mumbling to himself.

I grabbed my phone out of my bag and opened up Pandora. I needed something to lift my mood so I listened to David Guetta radio. I was dancing away while I started cooking

* * *

**Edward's POV:**

I was in my room, pacing back and forth. I couldn't believe how cold she was towards me. She was the one who _rejected_ me, so shouldn't _I_ be the one who is pissed at _her_? Why is it the other way around? I mean I already apologized to her for our picture being taken. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for not having security escort her into the car, so I could walk out alone. If I would have just done that, our picture wouldn't have made front page news.

I keep replaying that night over and over in my head. She is just so fresh and adorable, so unlike all the stuck up bitches in New York and LA, and then she turned out to be this freak in the sheets. It was something totally unexpected and I still get hard thinking about her touching herself, tasting her, how wet I made her. God damn it! I threw a vase against the wall and it shattered.

How could I fuck this up? I knew once we got into the car that those pictures were going to be in the press the next day. Why didn't I call my publicist right away and set the record straight, kill the story before it even got the chance to be turned into news? I've been kicking myself over and over all weekend about it. If I would have just been proactive about the situation I wouldn't have had to sneak out of her apartment in the morning to do damage control. God, I really fucked this up.

Now, I'll never be able to make this up to her because I agreed to go to LA and be in that fucking movie. FOR THREE MONTHS. I stormed into my closet throwing my clothes everywhere. I don't even want to do this goddamn movie. I thought maybe if I told her I was leaving for LA that she would give me some kind of indication that she didn't want me to go. Her facial expressions always give her away but I got nothing; she was actually _excited _for me, she wanted me to leave. So I did what she wanted me to, I called my agent after she left and told him I would do the movie. Once again, I fucked things up. That was my third strike and now I'm out.

I heard a knock on my door "WHAT!" I yelled.

"Um. Edward? Your breakfast is ready…" I heard Bella's voice, she sounded nervous.

Oh shit. I forgot she was cooking breakfast. I'm not even hungry anymore. I stood there in my closet, pinching the bridge of my nose, taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Once I felt like I wasn't going to break anything else, I walked out into the kitchen.

Bella was sitting at the breakfast bar, eating a piece of toast with jelly on it. How did she manage to look so sexy eating toast? "Sorry about yelling at you. I'm just stressed about the move." I lied, I couldn't tell her why I was really mad.

"It's ok" she said pointing to the plate next to her "I made you an omelet with mozzarella and toast. Sorry, it's the only breakfast thing I can cook" she smiled shyly.

"It's ok. I love omelets" I heard myself say. I actually hate eggs but if she made it, I'll eat every last bite. I took my seat next to her and as soon as I sat down, she stood up and walked into the kitchen. I guess being around me makes her uncomfortable. Fanfuckingtastic.

"So, Miss Swan, what else can you cook?" I asked as I took a bite of my eggs. I gagged a little bit and I was instantly thankful she wasn't sitting next to me.

I heard her laugh in the kitchen "Um...I really only know how to make Italian food, it's all my mother ever made when I was growing up and all she taught me how to make" she walked back out and stood on the other side of the breakfast bar, facing me.

"Well, it's a shame I'm leaving tomorrow because you can make a mean omelet, I'm a little disappointed I won't get to try any of your other cooking." I looked up at her.

She looked uncomfortable and changed the subject. "So, did you call Emmett about the boxes?" she sounded sad.

"Um. I actually didn't get to it yet." I was too busy having a temper tantrum in my bedroom.

"You know, I can go out and get them, doesn't this building have a back door or something?" She asked.

Yes but I want to spend as much time with you as possible until I have to leave tomorrow.

I got a sneaky suspicion and I ran with it. "Yeah, you should go get them but you'll have to take my car to pick them up. It would be kind of hard to carry boxes on the subway."

A blush crept up over her cheeks. "Um. I didn't exactly have the best experience driving your car last time; do you really trust me to drive it again?" She fell right into my trap.

"Actually, no. I'll just drive us; I wouldn't want you to crash my car or anything. I took my half eaten omelet and threw it in the trash, putting my dishes in the sink "Don't worry about cleaning up. We'll do it later. I'm going to get my coat and we'll go pick up the boxes." I walked back into my bedroom and grabbed a leather jacket.

We headed down to the underground parking garage in silence. We walked over to my silver Range Rover and I opened her car door, 'accidently' brushing against her chest while she was getting in. A blush spread across her face. "Sorry" I said shrugging my shoulder and giving her my signature lopsided smile. I knew it's effect on women. I shut her door and jogged over to the driver's side. As we were pulling out of the garage, a fucking paparazzi started snapping pictures of us. I looked over at Bella and she had her sunglasses on, holding her head down with her hand strategically blocking her face.

"You look like a bona fide celebrity doing that" trying to make light of the situation.

She didn't think my joke was funny "Yeah, thanks." She said tightly.

We rode in silence for awhile and I saw her reaching for the radio. She turned on Power 105. This girl was just full of surprises. "I never would have thought you would be into Power 105, I had you pegged for more of a z100 kind of girl" I turned to her and smiled.

"Well it goes to show, you don't know anything about me Mr. Cullen" She gave me that tight smile again. Shit. Why was she being such a bitch? More importantly, why was I so turned on by it?

After an excruciatingly silent, thus long car ride to and from picking up the boxes, I was glad we were back at my apartment.

We walked back into my bedroom and I completely forgot about the state I left my room in.

"Uh. What the hell happened in here?" Bella's eyes were wild, looking at the broken vase on the floor and the clothes that were thrown around haphazardly.

"Uh. Just some stuff." I dropped the boxes on the floor and sat down to assemble them. Bella walked out of the room and returned with a broom and dust pan.

"You don't have to do that you know, I have a cleaning lady." I said. I felt horrible; I didn't want her to have to clean up the vase that I broke because I'm a raging maniac.

"I'm not going to be walking around here with broken shards of glass on the floor, Edward" Hearing her say my name brought me back to when she was screaming it in her bedroom. She bent over to sweep up the glass and I took this time to admire the view of her ass. She had a great ass. I thought back to Valentine's day when she was rubbing that sexy ass all over me. Damn, I really should have had sex with her a second time. What was I thinking?

Bella walked out of the room, snapping me out of my daze. I started taping the boxes together and she returned. After a while, we settled into a pattern. I would put the clothes and things I wanted to bring to LA on my bed and she would pack them into the boxes.

We took a quick break to eat some pizza that we had delivered. It was awkward because no matter what I said to her, she gave me a yes or no answer.

After our uncomfortable dinner, we got back to packing.

Before I knew it, all the things I wanted to bring to LA were packed into boxes and I had a suitcase full of things to take on the plane with me. I looked at my watch and it was 10 o'clock at night.

"Oh shit. I didn't realize what time it was." I looked at Bella and it looked as if she was going to fall asleep standing up. "Bella, you look exhausted. Maybe you should just crash here. You don't look like you'll be able to stay awake on the subway ride home" I had slightly selfish reasons for keeping her here. Maybe we could have a repeat of Valentine's Day.

"Yeah. Could I stay here? I'm too exhausted to even walk to the subway… You don't mind do you? It won't be weird with me here right?" She looked so tired. I felt so guilty for keeping her here all day.

"Not at all! Here, let me show you the guest room." I walked down the hall with Bella following at my heels. I opened the door to the bedroom and gestured to the bed. "Uh. There's a bathroom in here too. I have an extra toothbrush and some shampoo and body wash and all that stuff; I'll be right back and get it for you."

I left Bella in the room and walked back to my bedroom, looking in my bathroom for the toiletries Tanya kept here. I found them in the linen closet. Why the fuck would she put them in here? I was suddenly extremely nervous. I sat down on the edge of my bathtub and did some breathing exercises to calm my nerves. Once the nerves passed, I couldn't contain my excitement about having her stay in my apartment overnight. I was pacing back and forth in my bathroom, debating if I should make a pass at her or not. I made a mental list of pro's and con's.

On the pro side:

We would have amazing sex.  
We would have amazing sex.  
We would have amazing sex.  
We would have amazing sex.

On the con side:

She hates me.  
She regretted sleeping with me in the first place  
She probably would run out of the apartment screaming

I looked at my watch and I was in my bathroom for ten minutes. Shit. I quickly grabbed Tanya's stuff along with a new toothbrush and walked out, but I quickly ran back in and grabbed an old t-shirt of mine so Bella didn't have to sleep in her clothes.

I walked into the guest bedroom and Bella was lying on top of the covers, fully dressed and completely passed out. I stood there for a couple minutes, like a stalker, just watching her sleep. I went into the bathroom and put the toiletries in the shower. I walked out into the bedroom and shook her shoulder to wake her up.

I knew she wouldn't wake up. I tried to do the same thing to her the morning I left her apartment but she was a solid sleeper. I felt bad having her sleep in her clothes, so I made a rash decision to change her into my t-shirt while she slept. I knew if she would wake up, she'd probably press charges against me but I couldn't resist seeing her body one last time. If she woke up pissed and wondering why she was in a strange t-shirt, I'll just deny everything. Deny, deny, deny. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.

I pulled off her boots and set them beside the bed. I carefully unwrapped her scarf from her neck and I saw half a dozen light purple hickeys all over her neck. Shit. I marked her neck up. I remember sucking and biting her because it just was so irresistible but I didn't realize I left marks. I felt extremely guilty for doing that but then I realized I couldn't apologize to her about it now because then she would know I was the one who undressed her.

I carefully lifted her torso off the bed and pulled off her jean jacket. She smelled so good. It wasn't her usual coconut smell, today she smelled sweet, like marshmallows or something. Being so close to her and smelling her, I felt myself getting hard.

I quickly pulled her white t-shirt over her head and saw she was wearing a sexy, black, lacy bra. It was like the one in the picture I had of her. I just held her for a moment, staring at her huge luscious breasts. I was rock hard. I had to fight the urge to stick my face in between her boobs and shake my head back and forth. Get it together Cullen. I needed to get out of there quick before she woke up and found herself half dressed and me with a raging boner. I grabbed the t-shirt off the bed and carefully placed it over her head and pulling her arms through. I was really amazed at what a solid sleeper she was. I could probably have sex with her and she wouldn't wake up.

I contemplated it for a second and realized that I wouldn't do that. I may be a lot of things, but I wasn't a rapist. I pulled off her leggings and admired the sexy panties she was wearing for a bit. I gently pulled the covers down from under her and tucked her into bed. I folded her clothes up and put them on the dresser. I shut off the light and was about to walk out the door when I heard her say my name.

"Edward?"

I panicked. She caught me. I stood there frozen, not wanting to move, maybe she would just go back to sleep. I stood there for what felt like hours until I was sure she was asleep. I quickly shut the door and walked out into the kitchen.

FUCK! HOW STUPID AM I? Of course she's going to know I changed her clothes! Was I that desperate to see her naked again that I really thought she wouldn't know it was me? God, I'm such a fucking idiot. I was pacing back and forth pinching the bridge of my nose, the sound of Bella's phone ringing stopped me in my tracks.

Shit. Should I answer it? I should at least see who is calling her. What if it's her parents I rationalized?

I walked over to her purse and rifled through all the crap she kept in there until I came across her cell phone. Angela was calling her. I figured I should answer it and let her know that Bella was here and safe. I figured it was the least I could do…. yeah right.

"Hello, Angela? It's Edward Cullen" I said into the phone

"Um.. Hi? Edward? Why are you answering Bella's phone? Is she alright?" She sounded worried.

"Yeah, um she's fine. She actually is passed out in my guest room right now. She looked way too exhausted to get home, so I told her to crash here…." I left out the part where I changed her because I didn't want this girl to kick my ass.

"Oh"

"Um. Yeah. Do you want me to have her call you in the morning?" I said.

"No. It's fine. I'll see her tomorrow."

"Oh alright. Well, um… bye then?" I said.

"Wait, Edward?" I heard Angela's voice "If you fuck her and then tell her you _regret_ it again, I will kill you and make it look like an accident." She sounded pissed and I was slightly scared of her. Before I could reply, the line went dead.

Holy fuck. I was slightly confused by that comment. Bella thought I regretted having sex with her? Why would she think that? Was she crazy? That was the best sex I've had in my life. I didn't regret having sex with her at all; I want to have sex with her all day every day, in every position possible. I put her phone back into her bag and walked back to my room.

I couldn't stop my mind from racing as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep. I looked at the clock, no wonder I couldn't fall asleep, it was only 11. I reached into my nightstand and grabbed an Ambien. I might as well go to bed, the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I will see Bella in the morning. I took the pill and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

* * *

**Bella's POV:**

I woke up feeling refreshed. God, I slept good last night. I rolled over, running my hands down the sheets. Wait. These didn't feel like my jersey cotton sheets. My eyes sprung open and I looked around. WHERE THE FUCK AM I? I sat upright in bed looking around. I thought back to last night and I remembered packing up Edward's apartment.

I spent the night at Edward's. Phew. I fell back on the bed and let out a sigh of relief. Thank God I wasn't at some weirdo's apartment that I met at a bar, waking up naked and wondering how I got there. That is the worst feeling, one I am too familiar with. Then I panicked, ripping the sheets off. Ok thank God, I'm dressed. Wait, how the hell did I get this t-shirt on and why don't I have any pants on? Where are my clothes?

I looked around the room and spotted my stuff on a dresser. Ok, I found my clothes but it doesn't explain how I got into these clothes? Then it clicked. Edward. I shot out of bed, not even bothering to get dressed. I swung open the door and ran down the hallway, not even bothering to knock on Edward's closed bedroom door.

I threw his door open "DID YOU CHANGE MY CLOTHES LAST NIGHT!" I was screaming at the top of my lungs but he didn't want up. I walked over to his bed and started hitting him with a pillow "WAKE UP YOU SICK BASTARD!"

He looked disoriented but blocked my pillow attack with his arms "What the fuck?" He sounded startled.

I dropped the pillow. "DID YOU CHANGE MY CLOTHES LAST NIGHT?" I was shrieking, I didn't even recognize my own voice.

He started rubbing his face, and I noticed he didn't have a shirt on. I wonder if he had any clothes on at all and I felt my anger start to subside.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I know it was probably really inappropriate of me but I walked into the room and you were passed out with all your clothes on. You looked so uncomfortable so I put you in a t-shirt. I tried to wake you up first but you sleep like a rock" he started laughing.

This asshole was actually laughing "WHAT ABOUT THIS IS FUNNY?" I was even madder over the fact that he found this situation humorous.

He ran his hand through his messy hair and flung the sheets back. He wasn't naked but he was in a pair of boxers. Damn. "Well. I have seen you in a lot less, so what's the big deal?" He gave me that sexy smile of his.

I almost forgot I was angry but then I remembered this is the way he operates. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. "_THE BIG DEAL_?ARE YOU SERIOUS! You are such a fucking DOSCHE BAG!" I turned on my heel and walked out of his room. I heard footsteps behind me but I didn't bother to turn around. I walked into the guest room and slammed the door in Edward's face.

I heard him knock. "Bella. I'm sorry. That was rude of me. Open the door please so we can talk about this." Oh hell no. I'm not going to open that door because the minute I see him standing in his boxers, it will be over.

I ripped off his t-shirt and quickly threw my clothes back on. I wrapped the scarf around my neck and slid my boots on. I looked around the room to see if my bag was in here but I didn't see it anywhere. I walked into the bathroom and fixed my hair, I left it down because it had nice waves from wearing it in the twisted bun. I saw there was a toothbrush and toothpaste so I quickly brushed my teeth.

I walked out of the bathroom and taking a deep breath, I opened the bedroom door. Edward had one arm resting on the door frame and his other hand was pinching the bridge of his nose. I pushed him aside and walked past him towards the kitchen. "I can't believe you think it's ok to have sex with me and then completely blow me off AND THEN have the nerve to strip me down to my underwear while I'm unconscious!" I was looking all over for my bag and spotted it on the breakfast bar.

"You, _Mr. Cullen _are in a league of your own." I grabbed my bag and headed for the elevator.

Edward blocked my way, holding up his arms. "Bella. Please. Just stop. I know it was wrong of me and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that" He was rubbing his hand through his hair. God, it was sexy when he did that. "I don't want us to part on such bad terms."

I sighed. "Look. Have a good time in LA. I'll see you in three months. Maybe I won't want to punch you in the face then." I walked around him and pushed the button for the elevator. It arrived after several awkward minutes and I went to walk on but I felt Edward grab my wrist, he pulled me towards him, so we were touching chest to chest. His free hand gently grabbed my chin and he placed the lightest kiss on my lips.

He pulled back and I was still standing there, eyes shut, in shock. I felt him let me go and I opened my eyes and stepped backwards onto the elevator.

The last thing I saw was Edward standing there in his boxers, running his hand through his hair, giving me that sexy smile "Bye Bella. I'll miss you." Were the last words I heard before the elevator doors slid shut.

God damn it! Why did I let him kiss me! I was silently stewing the entire elevator ride to the lobby. I was more pissed at myself that I actually enjoyed it, a little too much. I was about to walk out of the building when I remembered the paparazzi. Me doing the walk of shame out of Edward's apartment in the same outfit I was in yesterday would really make front page news. I turned around and headed for the concierge, luckily Raul was there.

I slid on my Chanel sunglasses and walked up to him. "Hi Raul, um, I was wondering if you could get a cab to the back entrance of the apartment building? I don't want the paparazzi to see me leaving?" I was mortified to ask him this because he probably thought I was sleeping with Edward but I realized I wouldn't have to see him for three months, so I didn't care.

"No problem Miss Swan. Just wait here and I'll hail you a cab." He gave me a smile that made me uncomfortable. Yep. He defiantly thinks I'm sleeping with Edward.

Five minutes later, I was sitting in a taxi on my way back to SoHo. I let my head fall back and I sighed with relief. It was over. I made it. Now, I had three months to get over Edward Cullen.


	10. Chapter 10

******* ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

***** Did a REVAMP of the chapters. This use to be Chapter 11!** Sorry for the confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

I got back to my apartment and collapsed onto my bed, letting my feet dangle over the edge. I looked at the clock, it was 8:45. It was so early; I'd usually just be starting my day and now I had nothing to do. I started to panic, what was I going to do for three months? I'm going to need a hobby.

I grabbed my phone out of my bag and noticed I had a text from Rosalie, she sent it twenty minutes ago:

Hi! Love to, let's grab lunch today? Call me. Ur in the Post again.

Fantastic, that's just _great_. I figured I'd call her. I took a deep breath and pressed send.

"Well, if it isn't my famous baby cousin. How are you holding up?" She said.

"Ugh, kill me! How bad is the picture? Please tell me they don't know who I am still?" I sighed.

"They are still referring to you as the other woman, so you're safe for now but the pictures are _a lot _better than the first one. You had on some fabulous sunglasses in two, are they Chanel?" Leave it to Rose to dwell on my outfit.

"Oh, thank God." I sighed "Yeah they are Chanel, I bought them the other week. So, what time do you want to get lunch today? I'm free all day!" I was starting to look forward to having something to do, even if it was just lunch with Rose.

"I can take a lunch break at 2, want to meet at Redeye Grill? It's around the corner from my office?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Um I'm actually gonna run and go get the Post though. I'll see you at later, kay?" We said goodbye and I quickly hung up the phone. I was about to run out and grab the paper but I figured since I was in the public eye now, I should probably shower and change my outfit before I get photographed in the same outfit 2 days in a row.

I showered quickly and walked into my room. I put on a bra and underwear and grabbed one of my Rutger's sweatshirts and yoga pants, throwing them on. I put on a pair of converse and threw my hair up into a bun. I grabbed my bag and ran out of my apartment, putting on my sunglasses.

I started looking through the paper, not bothering to leave the store. I knew what the pictures were going to be of but I was really curious to see how I looked in them, please God make it better than last time.

I opened the paper up to Page Six and I saw a picture of me walking into Edward's building with our morning coffee; luckily my face was blocked by those sunglasses. I'm so happy I decided to wear them that morning, I could only imagine if they got a picture of the horrible bags under my eyes. That would have really given them something to write about. The other picture was of us in the car. I was covering my face and Edward was looking over at me, smiling. He looked so fucking hot. I pushed the thought from my mind because I was shocked that there were two more pictures, though they were smaller, they only added fuel to my 'slutty image' fire. Where the hell did they find these pictures?

The first was a picture of me and Mike at a Tada Network party. Our bodies were pressed together and I had my hand on his chest and his hand was on the small of my back, he was whispering something into my ear. I didn't even know someone was taking pictures during the party. What the hell? The second was from the Tada Holiday Party and it was of Ben and I, we were standing under mistletoe and he was kissing my cheek. Whoops, I hope Angela won't get mad, but it was before they started dating we were just goofing around. I was amazed at how these people were able to take an image that was so innocent and spin it into something much more meaningful than it originally was. I sighed and read the article.

* * *

_Edward and Mystery Woman Still Going Strong, She's Cause of Another Celebrity Rift:  
_  
_We were the first to break the news that ladies man Edward Cullen ditched his reality star GF for a mystery brunette on Valentine's Day but it seems Edward isn't the first celebrity she's dug her claws into. Sources tell us that the mystery woman dated Mike Newton (picture above), son of Evelyn Newton and star of Jersey Wives, last year and once their relationship went sour she rebounded with Mike's brother, Ben Newton (picture above). Allegedly their romance caused a huge rift between the two brothers and they haven't spoken since. Though, maybe the Newtons will reconcile since the beautiful brunette was spotted entering Edward's apartment Monday morning(picture above) and the couple was later spotted driving away in Cullen's Range Rover (picture above). The duo must have been shot by Cupid's arrow because sources tell us their relationship is more than just a one night stand! Tell us what you think about the new couple on our website and let us know if you think this unlikely pairing is going to start a trend of celebrity and non-celebrity relationships._

* * *

Well, this is fucking horrible. I never dated Mike or Ben, so how can they write this crap? Who are their 'sources' because they don't know shit. Maybe I could sue them for libel? At least they didn't know who I was…. I can only imagine what people were saying about me on their website. I paid for the paper and walked back to my apartment.

Once I got into my bedroom, I grabbed my laptop and went to Page Six's website. I found the online article about Edward and me and started to read the comments.

EWWWWW what a social climber! Why are these hot guys interested in this hag!

This girl is a whore! Team Tanya!

Why would Edward dump Tanya Denali for this gremlin? Hopefully she has a magic vagina.

I'm rooting for Edanya to get back together. THIS HOMEWRECKER NEEDS TO DIE.

Seeing ugly girls like this get with hot guys like that gives me hope!

Whoa. I slammed my laptop closed. Judging from the first five comments I read, people really hate me. How could they be so cruel? They don't even know me! I was on the verge of tears but I pulled myself together. I have been crying so much this weekend; I didn't have the mental stability for another breakdown. What even possessed me to read these comments in the first place? I know I was hoping that people wouldn't believe everything they read, but obviously they do. Maybe, I also had a little bit of hope that people would be happy about Edward and I having a relationship. Obviously, not.

I needed to stop thinking about Edward and I living happily ever after. It wasn't going to happen, EVER! I should hate this guy for what he did to me, so why can't I stop smiling when I think about our kiss this morning? This was not good! I grabbed my phone to text Jake:

Hey hot stuff! Just thinking about u. Have a good day! xx

I smiled. So help me God, Jake was defiantly going to help me get over Edward. Speaking of Edward, I wonder if he ever emailed his publicist. I was so pissed at him this morning, I forgot to ask. I figured I would send him an email.

* * *

10:32 AM  
From: Isabella Swan  
To: Edward Cullen  
Subject: PageSix

I was just wondering if you spoke with your publicist about making a statement regarding me yet. We are another hot topic in the Post. And according to the comments, I am a social climbing, slutty gremlin with a magic vagina. Hope you're plan doesn't crash.

Bella

* * *

Sent. Maybe I should have left the part out about my magic vagina? He probably won't understand it in that context. Whatever. I curled up in my bed and turned on my TV, I put on Tada and Tanya's Word was on. I was kind of curious to find out what Edward see's in her, so I started watching. Tanya was out to lunch with some friends and they were planning a trip to Punta Cana. Seriously, it seemed as if all these people did were go on exotic vacations. I heard my cell phone beep.

My stomach was full of butterflies when I saw I had an email:

* * *

11:25 AM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: Re:PageSix

I just spoke with my publicist. She gave a statement to E! News so it should be airing tonight. (Your welcome) You should never listen to what people have to say about you. You are not ugly nor a gremlin but your vagina is pretty magical. I'm really sorry about this morning; let me make it up to you. Go buy yourself something with the black card, it's the least I can do. Thanks for your encouraging words about my plane landing safely, I'm not nervous anyway. (Mostly because I've been popping Xanax like they were tic tacs) Also, if you don't mind could you arrange for my boxes to be shipped to LA? I would have asked you to do it this morning but I was scared for the safety of my face. It's my money maker, you know. I'm staying at my buddy's house, the address 2020 Canyon Hills Ave. Los Angeles 90036.

Thanks,

Edward

* * *

I read the email five times. I had so many mixed emotions about it. One of the things that stood out the most was he said I could buy myself something with the black card… What did he think he could buy my forgiveness? Because he hit the nail on the head with that one. I thought about the things I could get… he never gave me a price limit, so maybe I'll get a Chanel bag or maybe a pair of Louboutins? I was excited over the possibilities.

I know I should hate his guts but all those feelings of wanting him were starting to resurface, especially after he kissed me this morning. And he thinks my vagina is magical! Obviously, it wasn't magical enough to make him want to be with me. He gives me such mixed messages. Maybe I needed to take more drastic measures to get over him, like shock therapy or something. Every time I think nice things about Edward, I'll shock myself. That will cure me.

God, this is so confusing. I emailed him back.

* * *

11:40 AM  
From: Isabella Swan  
To: Edward Cullen  
Subject: Re:Re:PageSix

Thanks for talking with your publicist. I'll set up to have your boxes shipped off later today. I guess I shouldn't wish your plane to crash because then I'd be unemployed. Have a good time in LA.

Bella

* * *

I threw my phone on my bed. I needed to stop thinking of Edward Cullen, so I decided to get ready for my lunch with Rosalie. Maybe I'd go shopping before I met her.

I opened my computer and without looking at the comments from the Post, I went on Pandora and played Nicki Minaj radio. I started singing along with Beez in the Trap.

I needed to look fabulous for lunch or else Rose would critique me up and down. I meticulously put on my makeup and looked at my neck. The hickeys faded dramatically so I was able to cover them up with some foundation. Thank God, I was starting to feel like I was hiding a vampire bite with all the scarves I've been wearing.

I looked my face over in the mirror and after I decided it was up to Rosalie's standards, I focused my attention on picking out an outfit. I stood staring into my closet to look for an outfit. I decided on a pair of magenta jeans, a loose fitting cream and white striped tank top and a cream leather jacket. I threw on some sky high, suede, black pumps that buckled around my ankle. I looked myself over in the mirror and decided that I looked Rose-worthy. I shut my computer, grabbed my phone off my bed and reached for my bag. I walked out of the apartment and towards the subway.

While I was waiting for the train I noticed I had an email from Edward.

* * *

12:37 PM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: Re:Re:Re:PageSix

I miss the way we use to be.

* * *

I stared at the screen. What does that even mean? I decided for the sake of my emotional well being to ignore it.

I had an hour until I was supposed to meet with Rosalie and I found myself going to Nieman Marcus. I walked directly to the shoe department and started looking around. I was instantly drawn to a pair of Ruthie Davis pumps. They were hot pink, light pink and orange with two sets of straps that crisscrossed and then buckled around the ankle. They were sky high and totally fucking amazing. It must have been fate because a sales person came up to ask me if I wanted to try them on.

"I'll take and 8 please!" I made my way over to the chair and started unbuckling my black pumps. They looked old and boring compared to the Ruthie Davis ones. The guy came back and I put the shoes on. They were spectacular. I told the sales guy I'd take them as I reluctantly put my granny pumps back on. I paid for the shoes with Edward's black card and I had to suppress the urge to go buy more things.

I walked out of Neiman Marcus feeling high on life; I practically skipped the whole way to Redeye Grille. I got to the place and it was only 1:45 so I got a table and texted Rose that I was here. I ordered a root beer and as the waiter was leaving I saw a familiar blonde head approaching the booth.

"Hi, superstar! So glad you could fit me into your busy schedule" she teased.

"Oh you know, I have to remember the little people" I stood up to give her a hug.

The waiter returned with my drink and Rosalie ordered a Coke. We engaged in small talk until he brought her drink and we ordered our food. Once the waiter left, she got down to business. "So, what is the deal with Edward Cullen?"

Hm.. I was wondering how I would bring this up to her. I wanted to tell her what happened but I signed that nondisclosure agreement. I figured I'd lead with that.

"Well, I had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, so I can't really tell you. But I will tell you, you were completely right about him, he is the biggest asshole I've ever met in my life." I looked at Rosalie's face and took a sip of my root beer. If anyone knew how to handle boy drama, it was Rosalie and I suddenly wished I could tell her everything that happened.

She let out a big sigh and went to grab my hand. "You know, I feel really horrible about how I handled that situation and I want to apologize." She totally took me by surprise, I could count on one hand the number of times I heard her apologize. "I was being a bitch. I had no right to imply you weren't qualified, because you are. You are amazing and smart and charming and I was jealous. Insanely jealous, because I knew he would fall for you the moment you opened your big mouth." She laughed.

My jaw must have hit the ground. That was the nicest thing she has ever said to me. "What are you talking about? Are you high or something?" She's never spoken to me like this before in my life.

She rolled her eyes "Bella. I think you are the only person in the world who doesn't see how amazing you are. You just have this aura about you" she was waving her hands around "it's just inviting. I don't really know how to explain it."

"Ok. Well, not everyone is so bewitched by me. Edward accepted an invitation to my aura and then rejected it after the fact, if you get what I'm saying." I was looking down at the table.

She grabbed my hand again and she looked concerned "That's because he's the biggest idiot. But I bet he'll come around eventually..." The devil on my shoulder was silently praying that he did.

Our food arrived and we dug in. I was starving.

After taking a few bites, I spoke again "Well. That's the other thing. I shouldn't want to be with someone who would treat me that way but I do and I'm really having a hard time with it. Plus, he left to shoot a movie for three months."

She almost choked on her food "So you knew he was leaving but gave him your aura anyway and now you're upset about it?" I was kind of amused by this whole play on words thing we had going on.

"No, after. He said he regretted accepting my aura and then he told me he was leaving for LA. I didn't get out of bed for two days" I was pushing around the lettuce with my fork "But then I met this other guy, his name's Jake and well, he's just the sweetest guy and I think I could really like him, if I wasn't so caught up on Edward." I was really in a dilemma.

She was silent for a moment "Bella, after what you told me about Edward, I think its best that he's out of the picture for awhile and maybe you should see where things go with this Jake guy. You don't want to be with someone who rejects you after sleeping with you." She grabbed my hand again.

She was completely right. Everyone I cared about was telling me to get over Edward and I needed to listen to them. Hell, even I knew that I shouldn't want to be with Edward. "You're right, I'm just glad he's gone because it's a lot harder to hate him when he's standing right in front of you. But I do want to see where things would go with Jake..."

She seemed happy with my answer and we got off the subject of Edward as we finished eating.

"So. There's something else," I said "are you dating anyone right now?"

She looked at me quizzically "Um, no, not at the moment, why?"

"Well, because Edward has a brother, Emmett and he's totally your type and I think you guys would really hit it off." I grabbed my phone and Googled 'Edward Cullen brother' sliding my phone over to her when I found a good picture of Emmett.

"Damn, he's hot!" she laughed. "But is he as big of a jackass as his brother?" She looked concerned.

"No. He seems like an ok guy, I only met him once though." I said.

"Well. Maybe I'll go out for a drink with him. Do you know how to contact him?"

I smiled. "Why yes. I have his number. Should I text him now?"

She nodded enthusiastically. I texted Emmett and I heard back from him right away. I sent him a picture of Rosalie and he said he defiantly wanted to get a drink with her. I gave him her phone number and the next thing I know, Rose was texting away.

"Just remember. You can't say anything to him about me and Edward, ok? I could probably go to jail or something!"

She rolled her eyes at me "My lips are sealed" she made the gesture of zipping her lips and throwing away the key "I hate to say this because I'm having a great time with you, but I have to get back to work." We settled up the check and we said our goodbyes. I was happy that Rosalie and I were able to clear the air. I really missed talking to her, well when she was being nice like this.

I decided to walk back to my apartment and even though my feet would probably kill me by the time I got back to SoHo, it was such a beautiful day and I wanted to enjoy it. I slid on my Chanel sunglasses and lit up a cigarette. I only made it three blocks before I decided to take the subway.

I got back to my apartment and I saw Angela was home. "HI! How was work! I haven't seen you, how did your first day go?"

She walked out of her bedroom and she looked defeated "Oh Bella. It's so hard. The kids are such spoiled brats and they don't listen because I'm just a substitute and I just…" She just burst into tears.

I pulled her into a hug and let her cry. After awhile, she went to sit down on the couch and I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured us two glasses.

I brought it out to her and she unleashed all her problems from the past two days. I felt horrible for her because it all boiled down to the fact that she hated her job. "Oh Ang. Well it's only been two days, give it some time. You know, it's a hard adjustment for you and the students, but it can only get better."

"Yeah, I mean I guess you're right. It only has been two days and I just need to give it a shot." Angela was wiping her tears away.

Just then, Ben burst into our apartment, oblivious to his girlfriend's current state of emotion. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together "Ladies, how do you feel about going to Atlantic City this weekend? I just talked to someone from Harrah's and they want Mike and I to make an appearance at the Pool After Dark." He looked at both of us and then realized Angela was upset.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He rushed over and sat next to her, pulling her into a hug. I chose to excuse myself but I was silently hoping Angela would want to go to AC this weekend. I LOVE Atlantic City and after the shitty weekend I had, it would be a lot of fun to gamble and let loose.

After an hour or so, Angela came into my room, looking much more like herself. "So, do I even need to ask you?"

AH! I shot out of my bed and pulled her into the biggest hug! "WE'RE GOING TO ATLANTIC CITY! COME ON WE NEED TO GO GET OUTFITS! NOW!" We were both jumping up and down, giddy with excitement.

We walked into a cute boutique around the corner from our apartment and I instantly found an orange dress that would go perfectly with my new Ruthie Davis shoes. It was sleeveless with a scoop neck that had two thin cutouts right above my boobs. There were also three cutouts over the left thigh.

I grabbed the dress and showed it to Angela, telling her about my new shoes.

"Wait, Ruthie Davis? Aren't her shoes like $800? I know you're making good money now, but how the hell did you afford them?" She looked skeptical and I was kind of embarrassed to tell her.

I recapped everything that happened last night and then showed her the emails from Edward. "So, he said to buy myself something and since he was such a jackass I figured he owed it to me."

"Well shit, the real question is why didn't you buy more than one pair!" I was relieved she didn't get all high and mighty on me.

Angela found a cute chartreuse dress and we headed to the dressing rooms to try them on. The orange dress looked amazing on me. The cutouts on my thigh looked sexy but not sleazy and the cutouts above my boobs looked just sleazy enough. The only problem was I would defiantly need to get a spray tan. I walked out of the dressing room and saw Angela standing there in the chartreuse bondage dress. She looked amazing but she could wear a burlap sack and look good.

We bought the dresses and headed back to our apartment. "So, Ben told me to tell you to invite Jake…" Angela said.

"Hmm. I don't know? I mean I haven't even gone on a date with him and we only hung out once. Don't you think it would freak him out if I asked him to come away for the weekend with me and my friends?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Bella, its only one night and Ben said the hotel is putting them up in a huge suite. It will be fun." She poked my side.

"Ok. I'll think about it." Just then, I realized I texted him today and never heard back from him. I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.

We got back to our apartment and I showed Angela my new shoes. She tried them on, walking around our apartment and I was silently debating if I should call Jake, when my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller ID and smiled.

"Well, speak of the devil; I was just going to call you!" I said.

I heard him laugh "Well, great minds think alike. How was your day?"

"It was good, I had lunch with my cousin, I haven't seen her in awhile. How was your day?" Angela walked over to me and I mouthed that it was Jake. She told me to put it on speaker phone, so I did.

He was talking about his day, but I wasn't listening because Angela and I were having a silent argument about whether or not I should ask him to come along to AC. The next thing I know, Angela grabbed my phone and started running towards her bedroom. She shut the door and I listened to their conversation from the other side, sitting on the floor with my ear pressed against the wood. It seemed like he didn't have a clue he wasn't talking to me anymore.

"So, my roommates boyfriend has to make an appearance at a club in Atlantic City on Saturday night and well a bunch of us are going and I was wondering if you would like to come along?" Angela said.

I was crossing my fingers on the other side of the door. "Um. Yeah, that sounds like it would be fun. I did say you would be the first person I went to the Jersey Shore with." Jake said.

I was so excited I fell onto my back and started flailing my arms and legs in the air, like I was dancing. Angela opened her door and had to stifle a laugh when she saw me. She handed the phone to me.

"Oh! Great! I'm so excited! Um, I'll text you the details when I find out more about them! I'm so excited!" I was practically screaming with joy.

Before we hung up, we had made plans to go on a date Thursday night. I felt slightly better about going away together since we would get to hang out by ourselves first.

Then my phone started ringing and I answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Forget something you wanted to tell me, baby?" I said in a sexy voice.

"Um.. Bella? I just wanted to tell you that the statement my publicist gave to E! News was going to be on in a couple minutes." Edward said.

Shit! It was Edward. "Oh. Sorry I didn't look at my caller ID, I was expecting this to be someone else…" I was mortified but slightly happy that he knew there was someone else in the picture.

"Oh, and who would that be, Miss Swan? You're Valentine that you ditched to leave with me?" His voice was playful and I felt a pulsing between my legs. UGH! Why did he have this effect on me!

"It's none of your business, _Mr. Cullen_ but thanks for the head's up about E! News, I'm putting it on now. I gotta run though, so…." I needed to get off the phone pronto.

"Alright, sorry to keep you. I'll talk to you soon?" He sounded kind of hopeful and I felt my defense disappear.

"Call me if you're bored tomorrow." Without waiting to hear him reply, I hung up the phone.

It was just in time too because I saw the screen split into two pictures: Edward and I in the car on one side and him and Tanya on the other side. Giuliana Rancic started talking and I was listening to her like my life depended on it.

_"In celebrity couples news, everyone has been buzzing about the hottest love triangle since Jennifer, Brad and Angelina. That's right; we're talking about Edward Cullen, his rumored new beauty and Tanya Denali! We at E! News got the scoop straight the man at the center of the controversy himself. Edward released us this statement today: 'Though my rumored new love is a very beautiful, funny and charming young woman, the reason we have been spotted together so frequently is because she happens to be my Personal Assistant. I'm sorry to disappoint all of you but our relationship is strictly business, nothing more. Tanya and I are still together and we would appreciate if the media would stop trying to break us up. We are happy and madly in love.' Well, there you have it folks, it looks like Tanya and Edward are still going strong. I have to say I'm happy for them, what do you say Ryan?"_

I sat there staring at the screen. They're still together and madly in love? I had to remind myself that this what I wanted. I should be happy about this but I wasn't, I was far from happy. It hurt so much to hear him reject me, again. How many times was I going to put myself through this? I keep getting my hopes up only for them to be torn down. Tears started falling from my eyes. I stripped off my clothes, took a Klonopin and fell into a peaceful sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

******* ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

********* I DID A REVAMP OF THE CHAPTERS, THIS IS A COMPLETELY NEW CHAPTER! SORRY4 THE CONFUSION!******

* * *

******Chapter 11**

I woke up from the sound of my phone ringing. Groaning, I pulled my pillow over my head to block out the noise so I could try to fall back asleep. Except it didn't work, my phone kept ringing, whoever it was kept calling and calling and calling. I was pissed, what the hell did they want! I threw off my pillow and answered the phone, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"What!" I yelled.

"Um. Bella? Is this a bad time?" A sexy voice said on the line.

Of course it's a bad time. Who was this? "I'm sleeping." I said "Who is this?"

"Bella, its Edward. Why are you sleeping, isn't it like 5 o'clock in New York? Are you sick?" He sounds worried. Ugh, why did it have to be him! Can't he just leave me alone!

"No. I'm not sick. Why are you calling me so early?" I was rubbing the sleep from my face.

I heard a laugh on the other end of the line, "its five o'clock in the _evening _Bella. Did you have a late night last night?" His tone was playful.

No. I fell asleep right after you rejected me, _again,_ on national TV. "No. I uh… I guess I'm just tired." I lied.

"Well, I need you to come to LA this weekend, that's why I'm calling. Book yourself on a flight for Friday, in first class… use the black card and let me know what time your plane will land. I'll pick you up from LAX."

The little devil on my shoulder was instantly excited that I was going to get to spend the weekend in sunny LA with Edward. Wait….Friday?…. Hmm… didn't I have something this weekend?

I sat up straight in bed. "Wait! But I had plans to go to Atlantic City on Saturday with my friends! I already bought an outfit and everything! I can't go to LA on Friday!" I was whining, I really wanted to go to AC, I didn't want to go to LA, even if Edward was there!

I deserved to have some fun after the weekend of hell you put me through, I added silently.

I heard him sigh "Well, how long are you going to be in Atlantic City for? I guess you could book a flight after your little trip."

"Ok! YAY! Thank you! We're only going to be there one night, so maybe I'll just fly out of Atlantic City on Sunday? Would that be ok? What do you need me to do in LA?" I wasn't sure what I was more excited for, my trip to AC or going to see Edward. The little devil on my shoulder shouted 'Edward!'

"Um. I'll tell you when you get here. Just book the flight and let me know the details… ok?"

"Wait. Should I book a one way ticket or round trip? How long am I going to be there for?" I asked. The little devil was shouting: 'three months! Three months of hot sex with Edward! Woohoo!' I mentally flicked the bastard off my shoulder.

"Um… just book a one way for now. We'll figure it out after you get here." He said.

The devil was doing a happy dance on the ground. "You have to give me some kind of idea, I need to know how much to pack!" I was starting to panic, I needed to look at the weather in LA and possibly go shopping for a new wardrobe. Maybe get some sexy lingerie….

He laughed. "Well, just to be safe, pack for two weeks but you shouldn't be here that long." He said.

"Two weeks, huh? Ok. I'll go book my ticket now. I'll email you later." I hung up the phone without saying goodbye.

I was going to be spending two weeks in LA with Edward. This wasn't going to be good. How was I supposed to keep my hands to myself? Hm, maybe I should run to the pet store and get a shock collar?

I fell back onto my bed and let out a big sigh just as Angela walked into my room. I knocked my prescription of Klonopin onto the floor before she could scold me about taking it again. "Hey sleepy head, was that your new boyfriend?" she plopped down onto my bed.

"Ugh, no. It was Edward. Apparently I have to go to LA on Sunday…." I tried to act like I was pissed off about it but on the inside I was giddy with anticipation.

A frown tugged at the corner of her mouth, "wait, does that mean you can't come to AC? You have to come! What are you going to tell Jake?" She said.

Shit. I didn't even think about Jake, what will I tell him? Whatever, I'll think of something to say to him later.

"No, I'm still coming to AC, but instead of going home with you guys I'll probably just fly out of the airport there. I can't believe he just sprung this on me, I have like 2 days to get ready! Think Jake will mind going home with you guys without me?"

Angela looked concerned "It's for work Bella, I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yeah, I hope so." I said "Anyway, how was your day at work?"

She smiled "A lot better than yesterday. I think I just need to give it some time. I actually have to work on some lesson plans so I'll let you get everything sorted out for LA….."

I booked my ticket and I was pissed because the only flight they had going to LAX from Atlantic City International had a three hour layover in Detroit. Looks like I'll be spending the whole day in the airport. I quickly emailed Edward the details and looked up the weather in Los Angeles. It looks like it'd be around 60 degrees and sunny, hmm.. maybe I'll bring some bathing suits so I can work on my tan.

The rest of the week flew by. I shipped Edward's boxes to LA and did some heavy shopping for my own trip there. I ended up buying some cute new swimsuits and some awesome outfits.

I went for a run in Central Park, which I'm not sure if I could even call it that because I was out of breath and got a cramp after literally five minutes.

Jake and I went on a wonderful date, he took me to see Invasion of the Body Snatchers in some old theater in the Village and we had dinner at a little Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.

I got a spray tan and managed to stay out of the press for the rest of the week, so I was pretty thrilled.

Saturday morning, I shot out of bed like it was Christmas Day. I ran to the bathroom but I realized Ang had beaten me to the shower, so I decided to text Jake.

Hey baby! Can't wait for tonight, I have a surprise 4 u ;)

I figured tonight should defiantly be the night I slept with Jake, I actually wanted to on Thursday but when I invited him up to the apartment after our date, he politely declined. I was kind of confused about the whole thing. Anyway, I hoped sleeping with Jake would relieve some of the sexual frustration I had and maybe make me not want to jump Edward's bones when I saw him tomorrow.

I heard Angela go into her bedroom and I ran into the bathroom like my life depended on it. I quickly showered, making sure I didn't wash my tan off and let my body air dry so I didn't rub it off either. I looked at my phone and Jake never texted me back. Hmm. Oh well, I would see him in an hour anyway.

I did my hair and my makeup and threw on a pair of my favorite skinny jeans with a sheer, flowly, white top, which showcased my cute leopard bra underneath. I threw on a black blazer and a pair of sky high suede black pumps. I threw on a black multi chain necklace and I was putting on some silver hoop earrings when Angela yelled to see if I was ready.

After two trips, I managed to get all four of my bags down to the lobby where Mike and Ben were waiting. "Shit, Bells, we're only going for one night. How many bags do you need?" Ben said.

I stuck my tongue out at them. "Ha-ha guys, remember I'm going to LA tomorrow?" There were butterflies in my stomach and I tried to tell myself it was because of spending the night with Jake, not because I would be seeing Edward in less than 48 hours. As we were waiting for Jake, a cute brunette walked into our building and headed straight towards us. Mike was beaming and ran over to the girl. "Hey guys" Mike said "This is my girlfriend, Jessica" Hm. So they were an item now…

We all said hello and we were talking to Jessica when Jake walked in. I ran over to him and jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist as I kissed him hello. I was kind of nervous for him to meet my friends, so I decided a good make out session would calm my nerves. "Ahem" I heard Angela say and Jake set me down on the ground. I was laughing "Guys, this is Jake" I went around the group and introduced him to everyone.

After the boys packed our bags into Mike's black Escalade, it was like they forgot we were even there. They were talking about football and sports and I'm not even sure what else.

After sitting in traffic for an hour and a half, we finally hit the Parkway and I was vibrating with excitement. Jake must have felt me bouncing up and down because he squeezed my knee and I rested my head on his shoulder. Two hours later, we pulled up to Harrah's and I practically climbed over everyone in their seats to get out of the car.

We let the bellboy take our bags up to the room and we hit the casino, I wasted no time ordering a drink. Two hours, a hundred and fifty dollars poorer, Jake and I headed up to the suite to get ready for dinner. It was seven o'clock and we had dinner reservations in an hour and a half. I was slightly buzzed and ready to get wild.

We walked into the suite and I saw Angela and Ben making out on the couch. I ran over and jumped on them. After they tickle attacked me and caused me to fall off the couch, I grabbed a bottle of vodka, some cranberry juice and four glasses and pulled Angela away from Ben so we could go get ready. From my bathroom, we heard Jake and Ben talking like they've been friends for years.

"I'm really glad our boyfriends get along" Angela said bumping my hip. I poured us two shots of vodka and poured some cranberry juice in the other glasses. I handed her one of the shots and rolled my eyes "he's not my boyfriend yet! We haven't even had sex! But tonight is defiantly the night!" We clinked our glasses together and took our shots. "Bleh" I said and I walked over to my suitcase where I pulled out a sexy red bra and panties set. "Think I should even bother with these" I held up the underwear.

"Defiantly not! I'm going commando too! We just have to watch each other's backs , or should I say cooters" Ang wiggled her eyebrows "so we don't pull a Britney, kay?" We were both laughing hysterically when the boys walked in to see what all the fuss was about.

Ang shouted "NO BOYS ALOUD!" and chased them out of the room.

After doing our makeup and five more shots, Ang and I ended up with very dark smokey eyes and nude gloss all over our lips. I'm surprised that we managed to look as good as we did since we were slightly drunk. I put on my orange dress with my Ruthie Davis heels, adding a few gold bangles and a pair of gold chandelier earrings. I put my stuff in a nude clutch as Ang got dressed, she looked spectacular as usual. We took one more shot and walked out into the living room, where the boys and Jessica were patiently waiting.

Needless to say, the boys didn't say much; rather Jake walked over to me and was rubbing his hands all over my body and we were making out like two teenagers. Hell, if he kept touching me like this, we weren't going to make it to dinner. After Mike cleared his throat, we reluctantly pulled apart and headed downstairs to Dos Caminos.

We sat at the table and ordered a round of Margaritas. This was going to be a great night. We all were talking pleasantly and Jessica spoke up "So, Bella, you work for Edward Cullen, huh?"

I was instantly nervous at the mention of his name. "Yeah. I'm his PA. " I smiled and took a sip of my drink.

"Yeah, she actually has to go to LA tomorrow to help him with work" Mike piped in and I had to fight the urge to kick him under the table, in my buzzed state I'd probably end up kicking Jessica instead.

"You know, I work as a producer on Tanya's show and the network wants to make Tanya and Edward trying to fix their broken relationship, due to you, the main plot of the new season, in fact she already started filming it." She smiled sweetly and I didn't know if she was trying to warn me or get a rise out of me.

"Well, that's going to be a pretty boring story line, since nothing happened between us. The tabloids totally blew everything out of proportion." I said. I was really paranoid. Everyone's eyes were on me and I felt like I had a neon sign pointing at me that said 'I had sex with Edward!'

She took a sip of her drink "I figured that much but I just thought I should warn you, Tanya is an evil bitch and she's really playing up the scorned lover card when the cameras are rolling but she went to visit Edward on Wednesday, so obviously it's all for ratings." She looked like she pitied me.

I felt like this girl punched me in the stomach. I guess I should have figured that Tanya would be visiting him in LA, in the statement he released he said 'they were still together and madly in love'. I took a big gulp of my margarita. "Well, maybe the three of us will get to hang out his week. Yay" I hope she caught the sarcasm in my voice.

She let out a laugh "What I would do to be a fly on the wall for that get together. Just watch your back with her ok, she's wicked."

I smiled and decided that I liked this Jessica girl. "Thanks for the heads up." I said.

Everyone started talking again and the conversation eventually turned to how everyone fared in the casino today and it seems as if Jake and I were the only people who didn't win any money. "It figures" I muttered, draining the last of my Margarita. I was in a sour mood, ever since Jessica brought up the fact that Edward and Tanya were together in LA, I couldn't contain the jealousy I felt.

Jake squeezed my knee "You ok? You seem like you're lost in thought?" He looked so sexy and I knew instantly how I could get my mind off Edward.

I leaned in close to whisper in his ear "Oh, I'm just thinking about all the things I want to do to you later." I put my hand on the back of his neck and started massaging it. I looked around the table and was glad that everyone seemed involved in their own conversations. His hand trailed up my leg and I instantly uncrossed my legs, spreading them wide apart. He slipped a finger between my legs and grazed my clit. It sent a tingling sensation through my body

His face looked shocked when he discovered that he wasn't touching fabric. He leaned in to whisper in my ear "Why, Miss Swan, you sure are a naughty girl" as he flicked my clit with is finger.

"Mmm. I am a very naughty girl" I whispered in his ear and I ran my hand down his body and settled in his lap, where I started rubbing his erection through his pants. He felt huge and I thought about straddling him, right here in the restaurant. Maybe it was all the liquor?

Our steamy little encounter was interrupted by the waiter delivering our food and another round of margaritas. I suddenly wasn't very hungry for food. We finished up our meal, sadly, with no more steamy encounters.

"Excuse me guys, I have to go to the ladies room, Bella and Jess would you come with me?" Ang said sweetly as she stood up. I stood up and had to hold on to the back of the chair to get my balance, damn tequila. The three of us girls walked to the bathroom.

Ang whipped around to face me as soon as the door closed "So, you and Jake hit second base in the middle of the restaurant! Bells, I never knew you were such an exhibitionist!" She playfully swatted my arm. My face felt like it was on fire and I quickly ran into one of the stalls. "AH! You guys noticed that!" I said, laughing.

"Oh yeah! I had to pinch Mike because he was staring, eyes wide, at the both of you!" Jessica piped in. Whoops.

I walked out of the stall and washed my hands. "I don't know what's gotten into me" I was giggling. "Maybe it's the margaritas. Tequila does make me frisky!" I dug through my clutch and put on some more lip gloss.

Ang came out of a stall "Bells! It was hot! I have to admit I'm a little turned on!" she bumped me with her hip.

The three of us left the bathroom and we saw a guy in a nice suit talking to the guys at the table. He introduced himself as the head of PR for Harrah's and was talking to the guys about the appearance. He was thrilled that Jake was there, apparently having the quarterback for the New York Giants at your club was good for business.

"So guys, we have a step and repeat and we'll just want you to take some pictures, alone and then a group shot, Mr. Black would you mind taking some pictures as well?"

Jake gave him that dazzling smile "I'd love to." I didn't know Jake was so comfortable in the spot light.

The guy was beaming from ear to ear "Awesome! After the pictures, we'll ask you guys a couple questions, nothing serious. Maybe get some pictures of you guys with these lovely ladies you have here" he gestured to us "and then you guys can head into the club. We have you in the VIP area, you guys have bottle service and your own VIP cocktail waitress. Once you're in the club you'll have to talk on the mic a bit, but we just want you guys to have fun."

Ugh. I was non too excited to have my picture taken.

In no time, we were walking to the club and there were a group of screaming girls waiting for us. Man, I didn't know Mike and Ben were this popular. They were getting their picture taken on the step and repeat and then the man called Jake over to get his picture taken. He looked like a natural standing there .

Next thing I know Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the step and repeat. Camera's were flashing and I just plastered a smile on my face, hoping I didn't look like an idiot. "This is my girlfriend, Bella." Jake said. I whipped my head around and looked up at him. Did he just call me his girlfriend? How can he just tell people that without asking me to be his girlfriend first? Whatever, I just looked up and smiled at him and he placed a kiss on my forehead. Yep. These pictures are defiantly going to be in the press. I could see the headlines now: "The home wrecking whore digs her claws into another celebrity!"

We were in the club and Angela and I were downing shots of Patron like our lives depended on it. Jake was sitting on one of the couches and I stood in front of him and started dancing to _We Found Love_ by Rihanna. I was shaking my hips and dipping low, while his hands wandered all over my body. I was sick of being in this VIP room so I grabbed his hand and made our way out on the dance floor.

There were people everywhere and we just got lost in the crowd. I turned my back to Jake and pressed my body flush against his. I was swaying and rubbing my ass against him, thankfully these heels were so high, that his dick was pressed against the small of my back, I could feel his erection. His hands were rubbing all over my body, over my breasts, down my stomach and he pressed his hands on my hips, pushing me against him. Then he spun me around and his hand was grabbing my ass. I pulled his head down and we were making out. Our lips were moving together rhythmically and I ran my tongue along the edge of his top row of teeth. He flicked my tongue with his and soon enough our tongues were stroking each other's back and forth. Somewhere during this, he lifted me up by my ass and I had my legs wrapped around his waist.

It wasn't until someone yelled "Get a room!" that we reluctantly pulled apart. I noticed there were a circle of people around us, obviously watching our every move. I started laughing and pulled Jake back to the VIP area where we were greeted by Jessica and Mike.

"Hey guys! Bella! Come take a shot with me!" Jessica said. I was never one to pass up a shot, so I walked over to her. "What should we cheers to?" I asked, my head was starting to feel fuzzy.

"New friends" she looked up at me and held out her glass and I slammed mine against hers, a little too hard, and tequila spilled all over our hands "Whoops! To new friends" I yelled! We downed our shots and fell back onto the couches giggling.

Then someone came over to us and asked to take our picture. "Of course!" I crossed my legs, remembering I wasn't wearing any underwear, and wrapped my arm around Jessica. I was smiling so hard my face hurt.

"Miss, can I get one of you and your boyfriend" He asked me.

"Sure!" I said, standing up, luckily Jessica grabbed my waist so I didn't fall over "Thanksch!" I beamed at her. I walked over to where Jake was sitting with Mike and plopped myself down on his lap, crossing my legs. I grabbed his chin and placed a steamy kiss on his lips as the photographer snapped our picture. Forgetting our picture was being taken, we started making out feverishly. I gently bit his bottom lip and I heard him groan. He was grabbing my ass and then I felt a body jump into my lap, it was Angela.

The next thing I know, Angela and I are kissing, on Jakes lap. Our lips were moving together but we never used any tongue. I heard some yelling and we broke apart. I looked over and saw Ben, he was pissed, talking a mile a minute to the photographer. "No man, you're not getting a picture of my girlfriend making out with another girl. Let me see your camera now, I'm deleting those pictures or were outta here."

I knew I should have been worried but I was too drunk to care. I grabbed Angela and went over to where Jessica was sitting and we all took another shot. Then the three of us left to go dance. We wanted to dance in one of the wade pools and it took me awhile, but I finally managed to get my shoes off with Jessica's assistance on keeping me upright. The three of us girls were dancing like fools to _Turn Me On_ by Nicki Minaj and David Guetta. We were splashing each other and grinding our bodies against one another. Next thing you know, our photographer buddy was back by us taking our picture again.

We somehow managed to get some drinks and kept on dancing. It turned into a pattern once we finished our drinks we'd go back to VIP and get a refill, then go back to the wade pool and dance. After God knows how long of dancing, Jake came up to us, He leaned in and yelled "Ladies, it's five in the morning… you ready to go? The club is closing soon." He held up my shoes and clutch in his hand shaking them back and forth. I looked around and noticed that there were only a couple people left. "Oh" was all I said as Jake took my hand to help me out of the little wade pool. He wrapped his arm around my waist because I was having trouble walking. Angela was running ahead of us and jumped into Ben's waiting arms. I didn't even bother to put on my shoes, I wanted to make it back to the room as soon as possible.

Then, a girl came up to us and started running her hands all over Jake, "hey baby, come back with me, I'll do things to you, you didn't know were possible", she tried to grab his arm that were holding my shoes. Oh hell no.

"UM, HELLO BITCH! Are you blind? Get your grimey little handsch off my boyfriend and go try to find some other loscher to take you home because he is coming home with me!" I reached around Jake and pushed her hands off of him. I didn't want her skank hands touching my shoes either!

Then she was yelling at me and I'm not really sure what she was saying, because I was screaming back at her. The next thing I know, Jake scooped me up in his arms and was carrying me down the hallway as I was still yelling profanities at her. Security appeared and escorted us back to our suite.

We got into the room and Jake threw me down on the bed, so my legs were dangling off the edge. I propped myself up on my elbows and watched him drop my shoes and bag and lean over me.

"Well, Isabella, I never would have thought of you as the jealous type" he placed a light kiss in one of the cutouts above my breast. His lips on my skin felt amazing. "But, you got awfully fired up back there and fuck, did that turn me on." He placed another kiss in the other cutout. My whole body felt like it was on fire. I fell back onto the bed and started to unbutton his shirt while he undid his pants. He pulled his pants and boxers off in one sweep and his hard dick was practically touching my nose. God, he was so _big_.

Without thinking, I leaned forward and shoved his cock into my mouth. I was sucking and swirling my tongue around the tip. My one hand and started lightly caressing his balls.

I took my other hand and placed it firmly at the bottom of his cock, twisting it back and forth as I moved my mouth up and down his length. "Oh, God, Bella that feels so good." His hands were supporting my head, his fingers entwined with my hair.

I removed my hand from his dick and stuck his whole length in my mouth, sucking as hard as I could as I pulled back. I was amazed I didn't throw up, his dick felt like it was halfway down my throat.

Then, he pulled my head back and his hands went to the bottom of my dress which he quickly pulled over my head. His hands parted my thighs and started stroking my pussy, I was already so wet. I moaned and sat up so I could take off my bra. My breasts tumbled out and his mouth was instantly sucking and biting on my nipple, it grew hard in his mouth. His hand was stroking my pussy and then he thrust two fingers inside me, wiggling them back and forth. "Oh, God, Jake, mmmm" I moaned.

He was rubbing his palm against my clit as his fingers tickled the inside of my pussy. "Jake, I want you inside of me" I moaned into his ear. He reluctantly removed his fingers, sticking them in his mouth and I moved farther up onto the bed, as he crawled up to me. I parted my legs and wrapped them around his waist.

"Tell me how much you want me" he said.

"MMM, baby, I want you so bad, I want your hard cock in my pussy" I was licking and sucking on his chest "fuck me Jake" before I could say his name he trust himself in me and I screamed out, loud. He was rhythmically moving his hips back and forth, God, he was so big, it was almost painful. He was thrusting his big dick into me, god it felt so good.

I pushed him over, so I could get on top. I straddled him as he put his hands behind his head. I was moving my hips back and forth and moving my body up and down his length, up and down, resting my hands on his chest.

"I could watch this view all day" he muttered.

I started swirling my hips in a circular motion, bringing my hips up so that just the tip was inside me, then I thrust down. He let out a load moan and I kept swirling my hips around and around. Then he sat up, so we were chest to chest and he wrapped his arms around my waist. He was pushing my hips down as he pounded his hard cock into me over and over and over. He was slamming into me and I was moaning his name.

"Oh baby, just like that" I yelled. God I was so close. He let go of my waist and I fell back onto the bed. He grabbed my hips and was thrusting into me hard, as I screamed out. My orgasm shook my whole body, but he kept pumping in and out of me. His hips were moving hard and fast and he just kept slamming into my pussy and I let out another loud scream as another orgasm ran through my body.

"Oh God, baby, I'm going to cum" he was thrusting in me really hard and God it felt so good. He came and fell down on top of me. We were both panting and he pulled his face to mine and kissed me. Our tongues were moving together, stroking each other back and forth.

He pulled back and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Bella, that was fucking amazing" he said as he started kissing my neck.

"Mmmhmmmm." Was all I could say. I felt like I just ran a marathon, he really wore me out.

He laughed and picked me up. He pulled back the covers and we snuggled underneath them. He was running his hand down my back and I had my head resting on his chest.

I was out like a light.

"Bella….. Bella, wake up, we have to get ready to leave." Someone was shaking me. What the hell, if they kept shaking me like that I'm going to throw up. I opened one eye and saw Jake smile down at me. "Wake up baby; we have to check out in an hour and a half."

I groaned. "Water" I managed to say and I saw Jake walk out of the room. I looked over at the clock and saw it was 9:00. It was so early. My head was throbbing and I think I was still slightly drunk. I rolled over onto my side and I saw Jake return with a bottle of water. "Here, drink this!" I sat up, grabbing the bottle of water and chugged the entire thing. "Jake, I think I'm still drunk" I looked up at him and he let out a booming laugh.

"Yeah, well that doesn't surprise me. You only stopped drinking a couple hours ago." I groaned and fell back onto the bed.

"You have to get up, babe. Do you want to take a shower with me?" he said.

Well that perked my interest. I threw the covers off and ran into the shower, not bothering to wait for him.

I saw the bottle of vodka in the bathroom and took a swig. Hell, I might as well keep my buzz going. Jake walked in and nearly fell over laughing when he saw me standing there naked, drinking vodka.

"You mean, you're still going to drink right now?" he eyes were running over my body.

"Yeah. If I have to get on a plane today, I better be hammered. I hate flying" I said. I took another big swig of the bottle and set it down on the counter. I walked over to the shower and turned the water on, "are you coming?" I said over my shoulder.

He stripped off all his clothes and we stepped into the huge glass shower. The water felt amazing and we just stood there for awhile, our bodies pressed together, just letting the water run over us.

Jake picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him. We started kissing and I was slightly self conscious over the fact that I probably had horrible morning breath, but the thought left my mind as soon as I felt his erection pressing against the back of my thigh.

He pinned me against the wall and I put one leg on the ground and wrapped the other around his waist. He didn't need any foreplay because he was already rock hard and gently entered me. His hand was cupping my breast, squeezing and tugging at my nipples. We were kissing passionately, as he was pushing in and out of me. The water ran over our bodies and I put my hands against his chest. He was pumping back and forth, in and out of me and, God it felt good, it was slow and steady and he was hitting me at such a good angle. I moaned.

He quickly pulled away from my body and spun me around; he pushed on my back until I was bent over at a 90 degree angle. He grabbed my hips and gently slid his cock into my throbbing pussy. He started to pick up the pace until he was slamming into me, his cock was so hard and God, it was hitting me in all the right spots. I extended my arms out, pushing against the wall to give us some more friction. He was pumping back and forth, the sound of our wet skin slapping against each other filled the room. I was screaming out in pleasure and he kept pumping into me, each time felt deeper than the last.  
I screamed as I felt my orgasm and it wasn't much longer until Jake came too. He spun me around again and kissed me passionately.

"Damn baby, I wish we could do this all day" he said as he grabbed the little bottle of shampoo and squirted it into his palm. He started massaging my scalp and I found myself ready to go again. I went to start rubbing his cock, but he pulled away from me. "Baby, we don't have time. We still have to shower and get ready."

I was disappointed but I knew he was right. "Well then, if you're not going to fuck me again, maybe you should keep your hands to yourself!" I gave him a little smile, hoping that he wouldn't want to take me up on my offer.

But he did. He smiled and held his hands up, "fine, wash your own body then!" I was slightly pissed and I hastily started scrubbing at my scalp, rubbing the shampoo throughout my hair. We finished our shower without touching each other any further. I was full on pouting by the time I was drying myself off.

I wrapped my hair up in a towel and I pulled out a pair of hot pink boy shorts and a matching bra from my suitcase, throwing them on.

I put on a pair of black yoga pants that had a hot pink cheetah pattern around the waist band. I threw on a white cami and pulled a pink Victoria Secret zip up hoodie out of my suitcase and threw it on the bed. I gathered up all my clothes and zipped them up into one of my suitcase. I looked at the clock and it was 10:00.

I ran into the bathroom and quickly put on some makeup, taking multiple swigs of vodka while I was doing so. I wouldn't have time to do my hair so I brushed all the tangles out and quickly twisted it into a French braid. I was gathering all my makeup up to throw it into one of my suitcases when Angela walked into the bathroom.

"Well, I heard someone had a good time last night." She slid up onto the counter.

I laughed. "I had a really good time last night… and this morning!" I smiled back at her.

She laughed. "Bells! I'm going to miss you so much while you're in LA, are you really going to be there for two weeks! What am I going to do without you" she slid off the counter and wrapped thin her arms around my waist.

"Don't worry boo, I'm sure I won't be there for two weeks, it will be like a week tops." I smiled back at her and grabbed the bottle of vodka, taking a sip and then passing it to her. "By the way, did you wake up drunk? Because I definitely did."

She smiled "definitely" taking the bottle from me and taking a big swig.

I eyed the bottle and there was only about a quarter of vodka left. "Well, it looks like we'll have to finish this one, no child left behind!" I giggled.

We took turns taking sips from the bottle as I finished packing up my things and by the time we were done; my head was starting to feel fuzzy.

The bellboy came and took our bags down to valet and we all walked out of the hotel suite a little worse for wear, well except for me and Angela. We were ready for round two. Jake snaked his arm around my waist and I was suddenly not mad at him anymore for rejecting me in the shower. I threw my arm around him as we all walked down to the lobby.

I must have dozed off in the car because the next thing I know they're dropping me off at the airport and Jake was helping me get my bags out of the trunk. He walked me to the ticket counter and we said goodbye, giving each other a deep kiss.

"I'll call you when I land" I said as I pulled away from him.

"I'll miss you babe" he said and gave me a kiss on my forehead. I turned around and started walking to the security check. I was sad to leave Jake but I was excited to see Edward. I groaned.

Eleven hours and countless vodka seltzers later, I was wasted and the plane was taxing to the terminal in LAX. I was suddenly a ball of nerves that I was going to see Edward soon.

Once I got off the plane, I stopped in the bathroom to check myself out in the mirror. I looked like I had been flying for hours. I quickly took my hair out of the braid, combing my fingers though it until I was happy with how the waves fell. I looked through my purse and grabbed some lip gloss to put on. I added a little bit of eye liner and walked out of the bathroom.

I looked at my phone and I had a text from Edward saying he was at the baggage claim. I took a deep breath and walked down to where he was waiting.

I saw him standing there, looking sexy as hell with a pair of Ray-Bans on and a New York Yankees baseball cap. I didn't know he liked the Yankees, maybe we could go on a date to a game sometime?

Whoa. Where did that come from? Edward must have saw me because his face broke into a huge grin. I walked up to him and he pulled me into a huge hug. I was kind of taken aback but I hugged him anyway, relishing the feeling of his body pressed against mine.

Then, the next thing I know, his lips were on my lips and his tongue was lightly tracing along my bottom lip. We were passionately kissing for awhile and then I came to. What the fuck was I doing! What about Jake! Earlier today I was having sex with him in the shower! I pulled back and stepped out of his grasp.

"Bella, I'm really glad you're here. I've missed you." He said as he threw his arm around my shoulders and we walked over to get my bags.

Oh shit… I saw him for 1.4 seconds and we already made out... I was in for some serious trouble…


	12. Chapter 12

******* ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

********* I DID A REVAMP OF THE CHAPTERS, THIS IS A COMPLETELY NEW CHAPTER! SORRY4 THE CONFUSION!******

* * *

**Chapter 12:**

What is wrong with me? Why does this guy have such a pull over me? Why am I so happy to be here? I had a million thoughts running through my head as we were walking over to the baggage claim. What did I just do? He's glad I'm here? He missed me? I can't believe I just kissed him in the middle of the airport! What if someone took a picture of us kissing? What if someone takes a picture of us with his arm around my shoulders?

After Edward made the statement about me to E! News, it was like I was back to being anonymous again and it felt amazing. I didn't want to have my picture posted all over the internet again. I didn't know how to say all this to Edward but I had an idea. They say actions are louder than words, so I removed his hand from my shoulders.

He turned to look at me but I couldn't bring myself to look back at him. So I just stood there staring at the baggage carousel, praying that one of my suitcases would appear and I could walk away from this awkward moment. After an excruciatingly long time, we had all four of my bags and were walking in silence out of the airport.

The lights flashed on a black Mercedes G Wagon and Edward loaded my bags into the trunk, while I sat in the passenger seat contemplating how to broach the subject of our unprofessional hello. He slid into the driver's seat "are you hungry? Have you eaten anything today?" he started up the car.

Why does he do this? How can he just kiss me and then act like it never even happened. I needed a drink, I was starting to get a headache and I couldn't deal with an impending hangover on top of this situation with Edward. "Um, just vodka" I was thinking back to see if I did eat anything, "wait! I had a chocolate chip cookie in Detroit."

"Are you serious?" He sounded mad. "Well, looks like we need to get you something to eat and I know just the place to go."

"Ok." I said and I finally worked up the courage to look at him. He didn't have his Ray-Bans on anymore and God, he was so attractive. It's now or never Bella. "Um. What was that back there?" I managed to get out.

He turned to me and he opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, looking back at the road ahead of him. He pulled off his Yankees cap, tossing it in the back seat and ran his hand through his hair. "Uh. I don't know. I just got caught up in a moment, I guess."

I nodded my head. "Oh." This was so awkward. Why can't we just have a normal working relationship? Oh that's right, because I can't seem to keep my hand to myself when I'm around him. I really had no idea what to say, so I turned on the radio. I managed to find a station that was playing Jimmy Eat World and I started singing along, putting my feet up on the dash board.

"You certainly have a diverse taste in music, Miss Swan" Edward looked over to me and I could barely make out his face in the darkness of the car.

"Yeah, I guess so." I turned and looked out the window. What am I going to do for the whole time I'm here? I'm going to be staying with him so it's not like I'll be able to avoid him. Maybe I can ask him to put me up in a hotel? No, I won't do that; I want to be around him too much. I really wish I bought that shock collar.

After we drove for awhile, we pulled into a parking lot, "In-N-Out Burger?" I looked at him confused.

"Yeah, it's the best; it's the only thing I miss about LA when I'm in New York." He had the biggest goofy grin on his face and I couldn't help but laugh.

I regained my composure "whatever you say!"

We pulled up to the little box to order "What can I get you" a voice said.

"I'll have a double-double , french fries and a large a coke". He turned to look at me "What'd you want?" he said.

I have no idea. "Um. Just a cheeseburger? Does it have tomato on it because if it does, I don't want it on there… I hate tomatoes and I'll take some french fries and" I was tapping my finger on my chin "and a root beer, do they have root beer?"

He laughed at my rant and relayed my order into the box. In no time the car was filled with a delicious, greasy aroma. I started eating the French fries straight from the bag. "You want one?" I asked Edward and he opened his mouth and I shoved a fry in.

By the time we finished our fries, we pulled up to a really cute Mediterranean home. He pulled the car into the garage and I got out, being careful not to hit the black Mercedes sedan parked next to us with my door. I grabbed my purse and our food as Edward opened the door into the house. "I'll get your bags" he said gesturing for me to walk inside.

It was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. I stood there taking the house in, the Spanish influence was carried over into the interior decorating; it was absolutely gorgeous, except for the weird voodooish looking dolls and art everywhere. "Huh", I said setting my purse and our food down on the kitchen counter, walking over and picking up one of the dolls, turning it over and examining it.

I heard a laugh behind me. "yeah, James is into some weird stuff. It takes awhile but you'll get use to it. Just don't come down here at night, it's really creepy" Edward walked up behind me.

"Who is James?" I asked, somewhat confused as I put the doll back on the bookshelf. I walked over to the island and pulled out a stool to sit down and eat my food.

"Um.. James Franco, this is his house" Edward looked somewhat embarrassed as he pulled a stool out beside me and dug through the bags, handing me my cheeseburger.

I almost choked on my drink. "SHUT. UP. You mean I'm staying in _James Franco's _house?" I felt my eyes bulging out of my head. "Is he here? Oh no, he can't see me like this!" I was shrieking.

He rolled his eyes "Relax. He's in New York going to school at NYU."

"Oh" I felt a little silly, so I took a bite of my cheeseburger. It was like freaking heaven, there's something about greasy food when you're hung-over. "This is good" I said with my mouth half full.

He laughed "I told you" and took a huge bite of his burger.

We finished up our food and I felt disgusting. My head was pounding and I was so full. "Does he have Advil or anything here? I think all that vodka is catching up with me, my head is killing me." I took a sip of my root beer and looked up at Edward, who was throwing away our garbage.

"I can give you something better than Advil" he gave me a wicked grin "wait here", he walked out of the room and I sat there wondering what would be better than Advil right now. A huge smile broke out on my face.

Edward walked back into the room holding a yellow and green bong in one hand and wiggling a bag of weed between his fingers in the other. "The other good thing about James is, he smokes _a lot_ of pot." He was laughing.

"I think I'm in love." I regretted my choice of words as soon as they left my mouth. I hope Edward didn't think I was talking about him but maybe I was, only a little.

He led me outside, where we sat on two lounge chairs that surrounded a huge L-shaped pool. Steam was rising out of the water and it looked so inviting. I'm glad I packed some bathing suits.

Edward packed the bong and passed it to me, "Ladies first, do you need me to light it for you?" he asked.

I grabbed the bong from him, "I think I'll be able to manage." I positioned the bong between my legs, so it was resting on the lounge chair. He handed me the lighter and I put my mouth to the opening of the bong and lit the bowl, inhaling deeply. After a few seconds, I pulled the bowl out to clear the smoke.

I placed the bowl back in its original position and passed it over to Edward. He was looking at me, eyes wide.

"I had a bit of a stoner phase in college" I shrugged and handed him the lighter as I exhaled.

He laughed and took a hit of the bong and passed it back to me.

Two hits later, we were both stoned, laying on the lounge chairs looking at the sky. "I feel so much better" I said giggling.

"Me too" Edward said.

"Edward, what do you think happened to the dinosaurs?" I asked and rolled on my side to look at him, resting my head on my arm.

He rolled over to look at me "Shit….I don't know…." He looked Chinese.

"Do you think on other planets, there are dinosaurs that talk like we do and live in houses like we do? Think they built high ways? Wait, do you think a T-Rex would eat a cheeseburger from In-N-Out burger?

He was laughing and stood up, pretending to walk around like a T-Rex. I was laughing hysterically and I suddenly _had_ to get into the pool.

I ripped off my sweatshirt and kicked off my converse, running over to the pool yelling "cannonball!" as I jumped into the water. I broke the surface and was laughing "it's so warm!" I said, floating on my back.

Next thing I know, there was a huge splash and Edward was in the pool too. He grabbed my ankle and pulled me under the water.

I shot out of the water, taking a huge breath and splashed him. "Are you trying to drown me?" I said laughing hysterically, I looked over at him and he was so serious.

"Bella, why did you say it was a mistake sleeping with me?" He walked over to me and our faces were only inches apart.

"Because you said you regretted it first." I said not meeting his eyes.

He grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him "Never" he said and his mouth was on mine. Our lips were crashing together like we couldn't get enough of each other. I pushed my body against his and his hands were running all over me. He peeled my wet camisole over my head and pulled me back to him, squeezing my ass in his hand. I turned my head to the side, breathing heavily, as his mouth was kissing my chin, my neck, my shoulders. I pulled his shirt up and his lips broke away from my body so I could get it over his head.

He ripped off my pants and underwear in one movement and I fumbled with getting his jeans off as he shoved two fingers into my aching pussy. I moaned as he moved his fingers around and rubbed my clit with his thumb. I managed to finally get him out of his pants and he hastily undid my bra with his free hand. He lifted me up so my top half was out of the water and starting sucking on my left boob, lightly biting my nipple. He continued the assault on my other nipple. God, that felt amazing. I moaned and he pushed me against the side of the pool, water splashed over the sides. He pulled his fingers out of me and I wrapped my legs around him, digging my nails into his shoulders as he entered me. We were kissing feverishly and it was almost carnal the way he was slamming his thick cock into me.

He pulled his face back and looked me in the eyes. We just stared at each other while he kept thrusting into me; each time was harder than the last. I cried out and grabbed the side of the pool to hold my body up. My boobs were out of the water and his mouth was instantly on them. Sucking and licking and biting at my skin. I felt myself nearing the brink and I screamed out as he pounded into me, sending me over the edge. He was grabbing my breasts with such force and I heard him let out a load moan as he came inside me.

His head fell on my chest and I watched it move up and down with my heaving breathing. "Damn" was all he said I looked around at all our clothes floating in the pool and I laughed as I pushed Edward's head underwater.

He broke out of the water, shaking his head back and forth and I quickly swam away from him. "Oh Miss Swan, I'm going to have to punish you for that" and he starting swimming after me. It took him two seconds until he caught up to me, grabbing my ankle and pulling me towards him. Our naked bodies were flush against each other, our faces were inches apart and I was giggling as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He pushed the hairs that were plastered to my cheeks off my face. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met in my life." He said.

I dipped my head back into the water to fix my hair "yeah, _ok_." I hope he caught the sarcasm in my voice.

He gave me that sexy smile "just say thank you, _ok_" copying my tone.

I rolled my eyes at him "it's hard to believe you when you work with some of the most beautiful women in the world." I said smiling.

"I'm serious. Ever since I met you, you're all I can think about, why do you think I had you come to LA? So you can do my grocery shopping? I just wanted to be around you." He was rubbing his hand up and down my back, tracing his fingers along my spine.

Hearing him talk to me like this, he seemed so sincere. I knew I couldn't put off this conversation any longer. It was now or never. "When I came over to your apartment after Valentine's Day, what were you talking about when you said you were sorry for what happened?" I asked pushing myself away from him.

He only wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him tighter "I was talking about our picture being taken. I knew once we got into the car that those pictures were going to be everywhere and I should have called my publicist right away but I was just so happy to be with you, that I never did it… and then the pictures made the front page of Page Six and they were saying all those horrible things about you. I just felt like it was all my fault." He said and he looked so sad.

Against my better judgment, I decided to believe him. "Well, then how did you feel about sleeping with me?" I knew I was probably treading in deep water but I needed to know the answer. "The first time" I specified.

He placed a kiss on my neck. "I felt like I was on top of the world."

That was really cheesy and I grimaced slightly "then why did you just get up and leave without a goodbye or anything? I think we defiantly needed to talk about what happened and when I woke up, you were just gone. You didn't even leave me a note or text me."

"I know… it was a real dick move but I had to leave because my publicist was hounding me and I tried to wake you but you sleep like a frigging log, I couldn't get you up." he was rubbing my back.

It was that simple. I can't believe I stressed myself out over such a simple misunderstanding. I started laughing uncontrollably. "Oh God. I thought these kind of misunderstandings only happened in movies" I was still laughing and he was looking at me like I lost my mind and then he kissed me.

Once my laughing fit ended, I asked the real question. "So. Where do we go from here?"

He studied my face for awhile. "I would like to be with you but you got a small taste of what being with me would entail and it would only get worse if we went public with our relationship. So, it's a lot to take in and I want you to think about it."

That made sense. "Ok." I really needed to think about a lot of things. I like Edward but I also like my privacy. I was starting to understand the expression you can't have your cake and eat it too.

He kissed me again, this time it was short and sweet. "Come on, let's get out of this pool, we're going to catch a cold and I'm going to need you alive and healthy" He said but never let me go. Instead he just walked out of the pool carrying me.

We walked into the house, leaving a trail of water behind us. He walked up the stairs and went into a bedroom, setting me down on the ground. I was shivering, God it was fucking freezing. He walked through a door and I'm assuming it was the bathroom because when he came out, he had a towel wrapped around his waist and he was holding a towel open to wrap around my body. He leaned in to kiss me and we pulled apart when my phone started ringing.

Oh my God! Jake! I pulled away from him, without explaining and ran downstairs. I didn't get to my phone fast enough but I saw I had seven missed calls. They were all from Jake. Damn it! I dug around my purse and looked for a hair tie. I quickly twisted up my wet hair into a tight bun and pressed send. I sat down on one of the stools and took a sip of my now watered down root beer.

He answered on the second ring "Bella! Where have you been? Did you get to LA ok?" He sounded so worried and I felt extremely guilty.

"Hi Jake! I'm sorry. I just um, I fell asleep as soon as I got here. Traveling really wipes me out." God, I feel so horrible lying to him but I couldn't exactly tell him the truth. I realized in that moment I didn't want to tell him the truth. If I told him the truth he probably would never speak to me again and I didn't want to lose him. I really liked him, being with him was just _easy_.

He let out a sigh "Well, I'm just glad you made it there safe and sound. So how is lala land?"

"Um.. It's good. I actually didn't see much of it but it seems nice so far." I felt hands start to massage my shoulders and I tensed knowing Edward was here while I was talking to Jake. I felt like such a two timing slut.

I'd have to talk to Jake when Edward wasn't around. "Um. I'm actually really tired, so do you mind if I call you back tomorrow?"

He laughed "No problem babe, I have some meetings and a workout tomorrow but they're in the morning. So, call me later. Ok?"

"Ok! Sounds good, I'll call you tomorrow afternoon." I said. Maybe I'd call him when Edward went into work.

"Sounds good baby, I miss you" he said.

Ugh, how do I get around this one? I'd have to have this conversation with Edward eventually; I just needed to bite the bullet. "I miss you too. Bye" I felt Edwards's hands stop moving. Shit, I could just tell this was going to be a huge confrontation. I hung up the phone with Jake and was scared to turn around.

"Who was that?" Edward said.

"Um. It's just a friend." I lied, taking another sip of my root beer. I couldn't tell him the truth either, we finally were in a good place and I wanted it to stay that way.

Edward walked around so he was facing me "that didn't sound like you were talking to Angela." His tone was even but I had a feeling he was tapping in to his acting abilities.

I just have to do it. "That's because it wasn't." I was looking down at an imaginary spot on the table.

"So, who the hell were you talking to?"

Yep, he's pissed. "Jake" I said and looked up at him. He was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"The same Jake from Valentine's Day?"

"Yep." I was nodding my head.

"Are you dating him?" he said.

Wait a minute. I completely forgot about Tanya. Why is he giving me hell when he has a girlfriend too! I wasn't giving him grief about his girlfriend _visiting_ him. I was pissed; I grabbed my drink, my phone and my bag off the counter and stomped upstairs, Edward at my heels. "What does it matter, Edward? You have a girlfriend, so don't get all high and mighty on me!"

He grabbed my arm and spun me around. "Bella, stop! Can we please just talk about this?"

I didn't even fully understand it myself, so how could I explain it to Edward? I know Jake technically never asked me to be his girlfriend, yet he told a photographer that I was his girlfriend. God, this was complicated. How can I like two people at the same time, in such different ways?

"Can we please talk about this tomorrow?" I needed some time to figure this out in my head. "I just have a lot of stuff going through my mind right now and I just need some time to figure it out. Please." I was begging him but I didn't care. I just needed a minute.

"Ok" he said. "Let's just go to bed then. We can talk about it tomorrow." He tried to usher me into his bedroom and I stopped short.

I was starting to panic. What about Jake, how could I do this to him! God, I feel like such a whore. Maybe those tabloids were right about me. I can't sleep in bed with Edward. I know I just had sex with him but sleeping in bed and snuggling with him just felt too intimate. "I can't. Please. Can I just figure this out, alone?" I couldn't look him in the eye.

He was running his hands through his damp hair. "Ok. I'll bring your bags up." He pointed to a room "This can be your room."

I was thankful that he didn't try to argue with me. I just needed to get away from him so I could think clearly. It was almost ironic, when I was with Jake I thought about Edward and now that I'm with Edward, I'm thinking about Jake. What the hell is wrong with me?

I let out a sigh and walked into my temporary bedroom. There was a king sized bed against the far wall centered in the middle, with a night stand on either side. The whole right side of the room was floor to ceiling windows and thankfully there were heavy looking drapes hanging on either side of the window. I walked over to the left and saw a large dresser along with a small closet and a door, which opened to a bathroom. I walked into the bathroom, fumbling for the light switch. There was a large glass steam shower inside and I instantly had the urge to take a hot shower. I sat on the bed and waited for Edward to come back with in my bags.

After he left the room, I dug through my suitcase looking for my bathroom bag. I walked into the bathroom and unpacked everything, turning on the shower. I dropped my towel and took a long, hot shower. By the time I stepped out, I was feeling much better.

I hastily brushed my teeth and quickly dried my hair. I walked out into the room and dug through my suitcases and pulled out a black camisole along with a pair of grey flannel pajama pants and rifled through the bags until I found my Klonopin, I'm glad I decided to bring it along. I walked over to the window and pulled the blinds closed. I took the pill, washing it down with some root beer. I crawled into bed and fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning and looked at my phone, it was noon. I stretched in bed and realized there was a note on the pillow next to me; I recognized Edward's horrible handwriting.

* * *

Bella. I'm on set all day today; I should be home late tonight. Make yourself at home- unpack and do whatever else you need to do. There are keys to the Mercedes hanging by the door to the garage if you want to go out somewhere. I also left the bong on the table in case you're not feeling well.  
-Edward

* * *

I looked at the note and smiled. I can't believe he didn't say 'WE NEED TO TALK' in big, bold letters. I sighed and threw the covers off, making my way downstairs. I looked in the fridge and poured myself a glass of orange juice. I stood in the kitchen for awhile and then decided that I do my best thinking when I'm high. I took my orange juice and grabbed the bong, lighter and bag of weed, walking outside. A smile broke out on my face when I saw Edward and my clothes floating around in the pool. I set the bong down and walked over to get the bug net and fished our clothing out.

Once that was done, I picked up the bong, packing the bowl. I was kind of excited that I was using James Franco's bong, Angela would die.I suddenly missed my best friend more than ever. I just wished she was here and I could tell her everything. She could help me make this decision because I have no clue what to do. Maybe I could flip a coin?

I took a hit from the bong and laid down on the lounge chair. It was chilly out but the sun felt amazing on my skin. After lying there awhile, I took another hit and then went inside, bringing the bong with me.

I rummaged through the cupboards and found an assortment of different cereals; I guess I wasn't the only one whose favorite high snack was cereal. After much debate, I settled on Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I poured myself a large bowl and started chowing down.

No more dilly dallying, I needed to think about the real problem, Edward or Jake.

I thought of the statement that Edward released to E! News about how he and Tanya were in a relationship and then I thought about Jake telling the photographer that we were in a relationship. I wanted to be in a relationship with both of them but I didn't know how to do that.

I doubt either guy would be fine if I was up front about dating both of them, so maybe I could date both of them without either one of them knowing about the other? I quickly realized that it wouldn't be possible. Edward would have to break up with Tanya and his life is too public, the press would be stalking him trying to see who he's dating next. Then there's Jake, who seems completely comfortable in the spot light too and I could be put in a position where I could get photographed with him. I would be busted in no time. Hmm…

I thought of Edward and Tanya together and then I thought of me and Jake together. Maybe, Edward and I could have a secret relationship? Like we would still date our respective people in public and we would be together in private. That way, there wouldn't be a huge scandal in the media because they would never know about us. The press would think he's with Tanya and not even think twice if they saw me going into Edward's apartment because I'm his assistant. Plus, Jake already made a public statement saying I'm his girlfriend so it wouldn't be a problem if I was photographed with him because Edward would already know about it. This was _perfect_!

I figured it out! I was so happy with myself that I ran upstairs and called Edward.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hi! I figured it out!" I said without any further explanation.

"Hold on" I heard him speaking to someone and then it got quiet "Bella? Are you still there? You figured out what you want to do with me?"

"And Jake" I added "But, um, when will you be home? We should probably discuss this face to face." I was bouncing on the bed like a little kid.

"Ok. Um. I have a couple more scenes to shoot but I should be done in like six hours? Can you wait that long?" I looked at the clock, it was only one. I was going to have to find something to do to keep myself busy for the next couple of hours.

'Yep! Would you like me to cook you dinner?" I asked.

I heard him laugh "Yes, I would like you to cook me dinner."

"Ok! I will see you later tonight then! Bye" I hung up the phone and decided to call Jake. I knew I couldn't exactly tell him my plan but I just wanted to talk to him anyway. His phone went straight to voicemail. Humph.

Whatever, I walked back downstairs, looking through the fridge. I would need to go grocery shopping.

I ran back into my bedroom and had the urge to unpack all my stuff. I quickly hung up all my clothes and threw some stuff into the dresser. I lined up all my shoes and stuck my empty suitcases in a pile in front of the window.

I walked into the bathroom and plugged my flat iron in, letting it heat up while I did my makeup. I quickly straightened the ends of my hair and brushed my teeth. I walked out into my bedroom to pick out an outfit. I was in LA so I had to look good because I didn't who I would run into; this town is swarming with celebrities. I put on a teal and white striped maxi dress that showed off some major cleavage and had a ruffle of fabric that hung down past my chest. I slipped on a pair cute wedges that tied around my ankles and added some white and gold bangles. I grabbed my purse and my cell phone and walked downstairs.

After making a list of all the things I would need for Penne Vodka and this delicious chicken and eggplant my mother makes, I grabbed the keys to the Mercedes CLS and walked into the garage. Shit, this was a nice car, I was a little nervous to drive it.

I turned the car on and used the GPS to tell me how to get to Whole Foods. After getting lost for awhile because the woman was an idiot and didn't even know where she was going, I eventually made it to the store. I quickly got all the items that I needed and was on my way back to the house, sadly without a celebrity sighting. I let out a sigh of relief when I pulled into the garage, thanking baby Jesus that I didn't crash this car. I wonder if it was James Franco's. I made a mental note to ask Edward.

I brought all the groceries inside and started making a marinara sauce because it needed to simmer for a couple of hours. After slaving away frying the eggplant and the chicken cutlets, I worked on turning the marinara into vodka sauce, which was pretty simple. I looked at the clock and it was 6, Edward would be home in an hour! I was giddy with anticipation.

I was just putting the food on the table along with a bottle of wine, when I heard the garage door opening. I ran over to the door just as Edward was walking in and gave him a big hug and kiss.

"Well, I need to leave and go to work more often if this is how you're going to greet me" he gave me his sexy lopsided smile. "Damn, it smells good in here!"

I was smiling from ear to ear "You're just in time, I just finished everything!" I grabbed his hand and we walked over to the table. His eyes grew wide when he saw all the food.

He filled his plate and dug in. "Holy shit, Bella, this is amazing" as he was shoveling pasta into his mouth.

"I'm glad you like it" I smiled, "now I have something I want to talk to you about… but you can't say anything until I finish, ok?" I was so nervous. Please let him say yes to this arrangement, please, please!

"Ok, let me hear it" he said as he shoveled more pasta into his mouth "mmm, this is _good_."

I laughed. "Ok. Well I was thinking, since you made that statement about how you and Tanya are still together and that I'm just your assistant" I took a bite of my food, chewing slowly because I was stalling for time, "that maybe if we want to keep doing whatever it is we're doing, we should keep it a secret."

He stopped eating and looked up at me but I kept on talking, he needed to hear everything. "Also, I think you should still see Tanya that way it doesn't look suspicious and I would still date Jake…"

I couldn't meet his eyes when I said the last part. He was silent for awhile and he cleared his throat.

"Why would you still date Jake?" he asked.

I looked up at him "because I like him too." I was silent for a minute and Edward looked really pissed.

"Well, maybe too, if people thought I had a boyfriend they would stop running all these stories about me and you." I added.

He nodded his head. "Bella, I really don't want to share you with someone else, I would like you all to myself and anyway, I don't want to be with Tanya."

No way! He was going to accept this arrangement or I'd kill him. "Well then why did you say you 'were still together and madly in love'" I was using my figures to quote him "and if you don't want to be with her why was she visiting you last week?" I kind of felt a little bit like a stalker but whatever.

He looked surprised that I knew that little piece of information.

I flipped my hair over my shoulder. "Look, it will only fuel the rumors that we're together if you and her break up. Plus, Mike's new girlfriend is a producer on her show and she told me that the network wants to make our love triangle the main plot for her new season, so if you break up with her, she's going to blast me on national TV, more than she already is planning to."

He stopped eating and took a sip of his wine. "Bella, Tanya isn't talking about our relationship in her reality show." He said.

"Well that's not what I heard." I took a sip of my wine.

He sighed and put down his fork "Well, technically you heard right but I ruined that little idea." He took a sip of his wine "The network said they couldn't have a storyline about a cheating boyfriend if said boyfriend didn't appear on the show. So, Tanya came by to try to convince me to do the show with her so we could work through our problems but I refused because I have no interest in being a reality star. So, now they need to think of another direction to take the show in."

"Oh" I was nodding my head. "So are you two still together or not?" I took a sip of my wine.

"Technically, yes we are still together" he said not meeting my eye.

I had to make him say yes. "Ok. Then why can't we have our cake and eat it too? Obviously you have feelings for Tanya or else you would have broken up with her already. I'm willing to share you because I think that is the only way we are going to be able to make this work right now. There's too much at risk and I value my privacy."

He was silent and I started picking at my food. I was too anxious to eat but I needed to do something to keep my hands busy.

After a long silence Edward cleared his throat. "Let me just make sure I'm understanding what your proposing." He took a sip of his wine. "You want me to publically date Tanya and you are publically going to date _Jake_" he said his name like it was something dirty "and we are going to have a secret relationship that no one knows about? Not even your friends? Not even my brother?"

I smiled at him "That is exactly what I'm proposing."

"How is this going to work? Do I get you every other weekend and on designated holidays? Are you going to have sex with him?" He sounded disgusted.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. I didn't really think of all the details but we probably shouldn't go out in public together and I probably shouldn't sleep at your apartment. For all intents and purposes, it needs to seem like we have a normal business relationship." I gulped down the rest of my wine glass and refilled my glass, pouring some in Edward's too. "And to answer your question, yes I will have sex with him." I couldn't look him in the eye.

"So, I'm only going to see you Monday through Friday? During the day? You're never spending the night with me? And once you leave me your going to run home to your _other_ boyfriend and _fuck_ him?" He sounded really pissed.

Shit. This was bad, he was picking things apart at the seams. He just needed to get over this whole sex thing. "Well, I mean I could probably stay over at your apartment sometimes." I took a big gulp of my wine. "Anyway, it's not like you'll be lonely at night, you'll still be seeing Tanya. And I'm sure you'll have sex with her too."

He sighed. "Bella, I don't know, I'm not into this…" he said.

NO. NO. NO. He has to say yes to this. It's the only way I can be with him and Jake, so I gave him an ultimatum. "Edward, it's this or nothing." Please don't say nothing.

He looked at me and put his elbow on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't say anything for a long time.

He finally looked up at me, nodding his head. "Ok."


	13. Chapter 13

******* ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

* * *

**Chapter 13**

I was ecstatic! He said yes! I was beaming from ear to ear. "AH! This is going to be great!" I jumped up out of my seat and walked over to Edward and pressed my lips to his. I was a little unsettled when he didn't kiss me back. He pulled away from me, holding up a finger "I have a few stipulations though." He said.

I got up and walked back over to my chair, feeling a little deflated, "ok, what are they?" I took a sip of my wine.

He took a deep breath "I don't want you to have sex with him during the week, if I'm seeing you during the week, you're mine and only mine." He looked me dead in the eye. "And if I see you on the weekend, the same thing goes." Couldn't he get over this sex thing?

What does that even mean? Maybe I'll just appease him because I don't really feel like getting into a fight. "Alright, what else?" I said. Anyway, how would he know if I had sex with Jake during the week? I'll just shower.

"I don't want to hear anything about him. I don't want to hear you talk to him. I don't want to see you with him. For my own peace of mind, I'm pretending that he doesn't exist."He drained the rest of his wine and I refilled his glass.

Well that's fine. I don't want to talk to Jake in front of Edward anyway. It would just be too awkward. I smiled, "ok. That's not unreasonable, is there anything else?" I took a sip of my wine.

He didn't look happy. "Not at the moment but I'm sure I'll think of other things." He took a big gulp of wine.

I wasn't going to let his sour mood kill this happy occasion. This was going to be a good thing. "Edward, don't over think this, it's going to be great. It's like the best of both worlds." I walked over to him and started massaging his shoulders. He was so tense. "Now, let's celebrate!" I said trying to lighten his mood.

"Bella, I'm a little tired, I've had a long day and you kind of caught me off guard with this whole thing. Plus I have a 5 AM call time tomorrow, so I think I'm just going to go to bed." He removed my hands from his shoulders.

Well, that was like a slap in the face. He stood up, kissed me on the cheek and walked upstairs. I stood there staring at the table and his half eaten plate of food. Shit, this didn't go as planned at all. Well, I mean I guess it _kind of_ did because he did say yes but now I feel like a fool for even suggesting this arrangement. God, what made me think Edward would be okay with this?

I put all the food into containers and into the fridge. I cleaned up all the dishes and sat in the kitchen, not knowing what to do with myself. It was only 9:30, I suddenly had the urge to call my mom and I grabbed my phone from my bag. I was just about to press send when I realized it was past midnight on the east coast. If I call them this late they would probably have a heart attack and think something's wrong. I didn't want to upset them just to say hi. I sighed and set my phone down.

Wait a minute. I looked at my phone and realized I never heard back from Jake. What the hell? My stomach felt like it was on the floor. What if Jake doesn't want to be with me? I mean, we never defined our relationship so who's to say he's not dating other girls? I'm such an idiot! He's an NFL player, there are millions of girls throwing themselves at him and what's stopping him? Certainly not me because I'm in California, he's probably on a date right now. I grabbed the bottle of wine and drank it straight from the bottle.

I fucking hate LA. I wish I was back in New York with my friends and family, I feel so isolated out here. I sat downstairs for awhile and watched a Toddlers and Tiara's marathon TV, drinking the rest of the wine. Man, did I really screw this up. How do I always manage to always mess things up? What is wrong with me? I get one stupid idea in my head and I think it's the best idea in the world, when it's absolutely _stupid_. Edward obviously hates me now and Jake, well who knows what's going on with him. Maybe I should just call it quits and go home? Get serious about my life and find a new job? Maybe I'll even move home back to Jersey, work at the mall or something.

I was contemplating booking my ticket back to NYC when I remembered what Angela told me. I can't just shut down every time something bad happens. I'm in charge of my own life and hell, I'm not going down without a fight.

I pulled down the top of my dress, so my nude lace bra was showing, you could see everything through the lace and my boobs looked pretty fantastic. I grabbed my phone and took a picture. I looked at it quickly, eh, it wasn't that great. I pushed my boobs together and took another picture from a different angle. That one looks better. I sent it to Jake.

Hey babe. didn't hear back from u today. We miss you! ;)

I felt better about life already. I drained the last of the wine from the bottle and my phone started ringing, it was Jake.

"Well well, look who finally decided to get back to me!" I said, I was smiling from ear to ear.

"Babe. If you're going to send me pictures like that after you don't hear from me, I'm never calling you again."

I laughed. "I had to find some way to get your attention from across the country."

He laughed "I'm just kidding babe, I'm sorry I had a hell of a day today" he let out a sigh "I, uh, actually just left the emergency room…"

"Oh my God, are you alright? What happened?" I felt like such an idiot, here I think he's running around with other girls and he was in the hospital! I think I'm going insane.

He laughed. "I'm fine. I um, was working out this morning, I train with a MMA fighter a couple days a week and um, we were boxing and we were just warming up." He let out a puff of air. "I can't believe I'm telling you this but um, I broke my nose and got knocked out, so my trainer wanted me to go to the hospital because he didn't really hit me that hard, so I got some scans done and they set my nose."

I felt horrible. This poor guy was hurt. Wait, how big is this guy… he has to be a monster if he was able to knock Jake out, the guy is_ huge_. "Well is everything ok? Were your scans normal and everything?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine. My ego is a little bruised but I'm good."

"Awe, baby. I wish I was there…I could nurse you back to health."

"Damn, I wish you were here too…"

"I guess I'll just have to put on my nurse's uniform when I'm back" I said smiling.

I heard him groan "I think you will have to. Do you know when you're coming back yet?"

I sighed. "Um. I'm not really sure. Edward didn't say… I only saw him for a couple minutes today, he was on set all day…" this was awkward.

"Ah, well, find out and let me know soon, ok babe? I um, I'm actually gonna head to bed, it's like one am here and I had to reschedule the meetings I missed today for tomorrow morning. So I gotta get up early…"

"Alright, well call me tomorrow when you're free?" I was a little disappointed.

"You got it babe, bye"

We hung up the phone and I felt a little better about the situation, at least I heard from him today. Now that I had things squared away with Jake, I had to work on Edward.

I turned off the TV, got a bottle of water from the fridge, gathered my stuff and went upstairs. I dropped my things off in my room and put on a light pink satin camisole that had a black lace trim and a matching pair of pink satin shorts, which were really tiny so I didn't bother putting on any underwear underneath. I grabbed my phone and bottle of water and walked into Edward's room, turning on the light.

He was passed out and his arms and legs were spread out. It looked like he was in the middle of making a snow angel but froze in place. I noticed there was a prescription bottle on the nightstand and I walked over to see what it was. Hm…

Ambien. Well, it looks like he's out for the night. I shut the light off and walked back into my bedroom and took a Klonopin. Since Edward was going to be out like a light, I might as well sleep too. I turned my phone on silent and walked back into Edward's room and curled my body up next to him, placing my arm over his chest.

"Bella?" he sounded groggy.

"Yeah, baby" I said. Woohoo, maybe was up!

He rolled over on his side, so we were face to face and wrapped his arms around me, not saying another word.

Hm. I guess we wouldn't be having sex after all. I lay there for awhile, hoping he would wake up but I guess I eventually fell asleep.

I woke up and was a little disoriented at first. I remembered I was in California, in Edward's room, except he was nowhere to be found. Oh, that's right he had an early call time. I sat up and saw there was another note on the pillow, in Edward's horrible handwriting. I'm going to have to ask him about that.

Good morning beautiful. I love your pj's. I tried to wake u up this morning to show you how much I liked them but you were dead to the world. I'm shooting down in Venice today and I wanted to know if you would like to meet me down there for dinner? I should be done later today, I'll text you the address and a time when I get a better idea.

Ooh, Venice I love the beach! I looked at my phone, it was one o'clock and I had a text. It was Angela.

Hi! I miss you! Call me I'm not working today!

I lay back in bed and called Angela.

"Bella! Hi! How are you!" She sounded happy

I missed my friend so much. "Hi! I miss you so much! I'm doing ok, a little homesick but… how is everything in New York?"

"Things are ok, their super boring without you. How is Edward?" she asked.

I wonder if I should tell her about Edward and Jake but it's probably a conversation that would be better to have face to face.

"It's ok.. I haven't seen him much but I actually have to go down to Venice today with him, so that should be fun" I was being serious but I hope she would interpret the comment as sarcasm. I felt horrible lying to Angela about this but I had to tell myself it was only temporary.

"Sounds like a blast" I could hear the sarcasm in Angela's voice thank God. "Isn't Venice like hippie, stoner paradise?" she giggled "you'll love it there!"

I laughed "Oh my God! Angela, you will die, guess who's house Edward and I are staying at.."

"WHO!" she practically screamed.

"JAMES. FRANCO!" I yelled back.

"OH MY GOD! No way! What's his house like? Holy shit. You defiantly need to take something as a souvenir!"

"Ang. He has got some weird shit here! I'll take a picture and send it to you later." I was laughing.

I heard Ben in the background "Bells, I hate to cut this short, but I have to go, I'm going to Jersey to go to dinner at Ben's parents house! I'll call you tomorrow! Muah! I miss you!"

"Ok! Have fun! They'll love you! I Miss you too! Tell Ben I say hi!" We hung up the phone and I was kind of sad, why was everyone cutting our conversations short? I really missed New York. I laid in bed for a while longer and I realized I should probably start my day.

I ran into my room and took a quick shower. I got out and looked at my phone but there were no missed calls or texts. I was a little bummed, so I decided to text Edward.

Hey babe. You can show me later tonight ;) Venice sounds fun, can't wait

I walked downstairs and poured myself a bowl of peanut butter Captain Crunch, I haven't had that in ages. I sat at the table and ate my cereal, bored out of my mind. I wish I had some company here. My phone went off and I saw I had a text message from Edward.

I plan to Miss Swan. I should be done in a couple of hours, so leave at 4 and put 500 sunset ave in the GPS, that's where our trailers are parked. I called ahead to security so just tell them ur name at the gate and they'll let u in. see u soon. ;)

I looked at my clock, it was 2:30. I might as well get ready. I walked upstairs and blew out my hair. Since we were going to the beach, I decided to do some beach sexy waves, so I plugged in my curling iron and waver letting them heat up while I did my makeup. I figured I would go light on the makeup. I put on my false eyelashes, I added some charcoal eye liner above the lashes and added a light layer of gold eye shadow, just enough for it to shimmer. I put on some foundation, blush and brozner and I was set.

I started with my hair, curling some pieces and using the waver on some others. It took me awhile, but eventually it looked like I spent the day at the beach. I took a section of hair in the front, on either side of my part and twisted them back, securing them with some bobby pins. I looked it over in the mirror from different angles, my hair was getting so long, it reached below my shoulder blades and I debated if I should get it cut. Nah.

I looked at my phone, it was 3:40. I would have to be quick picking out an outfit. I ended up choosing this cotton, salmon colored, strapless maxi dress that had a cream colored stitching design along the top and a cute cutout pattern and stitching design at the bottom. I added a few gold bangles and I put on a pair of strappy flip flops. I looked very hippie chic.

I dumped out of the contents of my Birkin onto my bed and switched them into a cobalt blue Balenciaga Classic City Bag that I got from my favorite Chinaman. I really wonder where he did manage to get these bags from. I spritzed myself with my favorite perfume, Viva La Juicy and checked myself out once more in the mirror. I looked good. Last minute, I decided to bring a distressed jean jacket along just in case I got cold.

I grabbed my bag and walked downstairs, grabbing a bottle of water and the keys to the Mercedes, I was a little nervous to drive it again. I walked into the garage and was confused when I saw the CLS and the G Wagon, how did Edward get to work today? I pushed the thought from my mind as I climbed in the CLS and started up the car, typing in the address Edward gave me.

I put on my Chanel sunglasses and put on the satellite radio, looking for the dance station and took off for Venice. After an hour and a half of crawling along in traffic, I finally arrived at my destination. I gave my name to the security guard and I was able to drive on set where he gave me directions to a little parking lot. I managed to find a spot but I had no idea where Edward's trailer would be, so I called him from the car.

"Hey are you here?" he said.

"Yeah, I just parked the car, where am I supposed to go?" I said as I put on some nude lip gloss in the rearview mirror.

"Ok, walk out of the parking lot and turn left, walk straight for awhile and you'll see a set of three trailers, mine's the second. Just wait in there and I'll be there shortly." He hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Hm.. whatever.

I got out of the car and I could smell the ocean. I grabbed my bag and jacket and took off towards Edward's trailer. I managed to find it and walked inside. I felt a little weird just walking up and going into his trailer but no one was around, so whatever. I sat down on a little couch and played angry birds on my phone. It felt like forever but eventually the door swung open.

"Hey baby" Edward said, giving me his sexy lopsided smile. He closed the door and locked it. This was a good sign. He walked over to me and sat down on the couch, giving me a steamy kiss.

Our lips were moving together rhythmically and I bit his bottom lip lightly and he started to rub my breasts through my clothes. I pulled back "are you done for the day?" I asked as he kissed my neck.

"Yep" was all he said as he left a trail of kisses from my neck to my collar bone.

"Well then, let's get you out of these clothes" I said as I pulled the Superman t-shirt he was wearing over his head. Weird, it must be for his character.

I stood up off the couch, pulling him with me as his lips met mine. His tongue was in my mouth, massaging mine and I lightly bit down on it, holding it between my teeth as I tickled his tongue with my own. He let out a quiet moan and I realized that I needed to make things better with Edward after our disastrous conversation yesterday, so I pulled away from him, sinking down onto my knees as I undid his pants. I looked up at him and his face was stunned.

"What are you doing?" he said.

I rolled my eyes and pulled down his pants and boxers, he was already somewhat hard and I grabbed his dick, running my tongue from the base all the way to the tip. I heard him suck in a breath of air as I took him into my mouth. I was swirling my tongue around the tip and slowly sucked my way down his length until he was completely inside my mouth. I took my right hand and gently started massaging his balls and took my other hand and placed it on the base of his cock while I brought my mouth up. I was moving my head up and down sucking hard on his length for awhile and then I pulled back so I was just sucking on the tip of his dick and running my left hand up and down his length. His hands were on my head and his fingers were intertwined with my hair. I was flicking my tongue over the little hole while my hand moved up and down.

"Shit. Bella. That feels so fucking good" he moaned. I sucked down again, so he was completely in my mouth and I heard him gasp as he tightened his grip on my hair, pulling it hard. I was never so turned on from giving a blow job before.

I opened my mouth and ran my tongue from the base of his penis all the way to the tip and I was jerking him off while I lightly licked and sucked on his balls, taking them both in my mouth and sucking gently. I heard his heavy breathing and his dick was so hard in my hand. I blew on it lightly and sucked on the tip again, flicking the hole with my tongue. I was running my hand up and down his length.

"Fuck.I'm gonna cum." He pulled my hair harder and I made no move to let him out of my mouth. I was sucking hard, massaging his dick with my tongue as I was twisting my hand back and forth over the base of his cock. I felt his warm cum hit the back of my throat and I swallowed, licking him clean.

I stood up and Edward was still standing there, eyes closed. I wiped my mouth and laughed.

"Bella, you are amazing." He said as he opened his eyes and kissed me. There was a knock on his trailer door and we pulled apart. Looks like he came just in time.

He looked bewildered for a minute turning in circles like he didn't know what to do. He hastily pulled up his pants and walked over to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open. "Uh. Hey. I was um. Yeah." he said. He was an actor for God's sake, couldn't he act a little more composed?

I sat down on the couch and tried to look like I didn't just give someone a blow job. I patted my hair and realized it was all sorts of messed up, so I quickly ripped out the pins and tried to smooth it as best as I could.

"Uh…" I heard from the other side of the door "I just wrapped my scenes, wanna go grab a drink?" A guy walked into the trailer and I didn't recognize him at first, but after a moment I saw it was Jonah Hill. Wow, he looks good. He lost a lot of weight since the last movie I saw him in.

He saw me and his eyes darted between Edward and I. He gave Edward a knowing smile and turned to me "Hey, I'm uh, my names Jonah" he held his hand out to mine.

I smiled, praying I looked somewhat normal. "Hi. I'm Bella, Edward's assistant" I tried to throw that in so he would stop looking at us like he just caught us in the act. Which, I guess, technically he kind of did.

"Um. I mean. Uh. We were just" Edward said. What the hell, he wasn't helping the situation any. I needed to fix this.

"Yeah. Edward was just talking about going to get a drink, right Edward?" I said trying act normal "Do you mind if I tag along?" I turned to Jonah and gave him my best smile.

He laughed. "Um. Not at all… Do you guys need a minute? I feel like I'm interrupting something?" he said.

I rolled my eyes. "No, were fine, you came right on time" I smiled and looked at Edward, hoping he noticed my play on words.

He did because his eyes grew dark. "Um. Yeah. I was just changing out of this stupid Superman t-shirt and then we were leaving" he walked over to a rack of clothes and grabbed a white v-neck tee and pulled it on.

I grabbed my jacket and dug through my bag for my sunglasses, putting them on as the three of us walked out of Edward's trailer. We walked down the boardwalk for awhile and ended up at a bar called Nikki Beach. The guys ordered two Corona's and I ordered a raspberry Mojito.

"So. What's the movie about?" I asked as I slid my sunglasses on top of my head.

Jonah laughed. "you mean, this clown hasn't told you what the movies about?" He asked as he hit Edward on the arm.

Edward looked embarrassed "No. I never got around to it" he said.

Jonah laughed. "Well. It's about these two stoners who move to Venice to get into the Medical Marijuana business." Our drinks arrive and he took a sip of his beer. "Long story short is these guys think they'll just be able to grow pot and sell it but they end up getting in trouble and get a little lost along the way. They eventually end up going to school for it and that's the end." He took another sip of his beer.

"Oh, sounds like it will be a good movie" I said taking a long sip of my drink. I really had no idea if it would be or not, from that recap it sounded kind of boring.

"So what's the deal with you two?" Jonah asked me.

My face must have been as red as my dress. "Um. Nothing man, she's just my assistant" Edward said looking at me.

He laughed. "Yeah, ok. So you're single then?" he asked me.

I smiled. "No, I have a boyfriend back in New York."

Edward pinched my leg under the table.

"Figures a beautiful girl like you has a boyfriend, he must be a lucky guy" Jonah said.

Well, this was awkward. "I think so" I said and took a sip of my drink because I had no idea what else to say. Edward downed his Corona in one gulp. Jonah laughed. "Well, it looks like Eddie here wants to get a little drunk, what do you say?"

I smiled and held my glass up "I say we better catch up."

I had another Mojito and remembered someone had to drive home to LA. I suddenly wished we were back in New York because you never had to worry about drinking and driving there. I sighed and ordered a coke because the guys were taking shots and didn't seem concerned about how they were getting home.

Seven rounds later, they were pretty drunk and the life of the party. Girls and guys were coming up to them taking pictures and getting their autographs. Jonah even got behind the bar and started bartending. I was slightly annoyed because it's no fun being the only sober person in the bar. Also, I had to deal with Edward because he couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself. He was constantly groping me every chance he got.

"Keep your hands to yourself Edward or people are going to get suspicious." I said through clenched teeth, I was having a hard enough time keeping to myself and him rubbing all over me was making it almost impossible. I didn't need the whole bar to see us going at it.

The three of us sat and talked for awhile, until Jonah somehow ended up with a mic and started rapping to Dr. Dre _Nuthin But A G Thang._ I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life.

"I'll be right back" I said to Edward as Jonah finished his song. I got up, grabbing my bag and walked over to the bathroom.

I waited in line for the one person bathroom for what felt like forever and I felt hands come around my waist and move up my body. "I'm going to fuck you in the bathroom." Edward whispered into my ear.

I was instantly wet. A girl opened the bathroom door and walked out, eyeing us both. Edward completely ignored her stares and literally shoved me into the bathroom, locking the door behind us. I dropped my bag as he pushed me up against the wall and pulled up my dress, ripping my underwear off my body. Well, I guess I'd be going commando for the rest of the night.

His mouth was on my neck, licking and biting at my skin. He stuck to fingers inside my pussy and was moving them in and out, flicking my clit with his thumb nail.

"Bella, you're so wet for me" he said as he bit my earlobe. Holy fuck, this was so hot. I managed to pull his pants down and was rubbing my hand up and down his hard dick. He hooked his hand around the back of my knee and pulled my leg up as he shoved his hard cock in my throbbing pussy. I screamed out and he covered my mouth with his hand "you have to be quiet" he whispered in my ear.

He was slamming in and out of me and God, it felt amazing. He was going deeper and deeper with each thrust and I felt my pussy start to tighten, he kept pounding into me, faster and faster and Edward stifled another one of my screams with his hand.

"Fuck, I'm going to cum, you feel so fucking good" he said as he bit down on the crook of my neck, hard. It sent me over the edge. I bit down on his palm as my orgasm ran through my body. If he wasn't pinning me against the wall, my leg would probably have given out. He thrust into me a couple more times and I felt him bite down on my shoulder as he came inside me.

We stood there for a few minutes as we caught our breath, his dick still inside me. He kissed me and our lips moved together, he grabbed my tongue between his lips and sucked gently, I was ready to go again. He let go and he gave me a peck on the lips, "come on we better get out of here before someone catches us" he said. What the hell! He pulled out of me and pulled up his pants. I was so wiped out I just stood there, leaning against the wall.

He laughed and kissed me on the cheek "I'll see you out there" he said as he walked out of the bathroom. I quickly locked the door behind him and picked up my shredded panties off the floor and threw them in the trash. I peed quick and washed my hands. I looked myself over in the mirror, my face was flushed and I was glowing. I looked like I just had really great sex. I had two large bite marks on my shoulder and neck so I moved my hair so it was covering them. I tried to smooth the wrinkles out of my dress but it wasn't doing any good so I took a deep breath, grabbed my bag and walked out of the bathroom, thankfully no one was waiting in line.

As soon as I walked out, my phone started ringing. I dug through my bag and saw it was Jake! Ah! What perfect timing.

"Hey! Hold on one second" I walked over to the table and Edward eyed me suspiciously. I pointed to my phone and grabbed my jacket, walking outside.

"Sorry. Babe! Hi! How are you feeling today?" I asked. I sat down on a bench near the beach, the sun was setting over the ocean and it looked beautiful.

"Hey baby. I'm doing much better today, where are you? It sounded loud?" he asked I put on my jean jacket because it was getting a little chilly and rifled through my bag looking for my pack of cigarettes.

"Get this. I'm in Venice at a bar with Edward and _Jonah Hill_" I said laughing "apparently I'm an assistant/ designated driver" I lit a cigarette. I inhaled, there's nothing better than a cigarette after good sex.

He laughed. "No way! I love that guy, Superbad is like my favorite movie! What's he like?"

I took another drag of my cigarette "He's really funny and he lost a lot of weight, he's really cute!" I said giggling.

"Well, keep your hands to yourself miss, I don't plan on sharing you" he words made my stomach churn. Uh oh.

I let out a nervous laugh "Don't worry babe. I'm keeping my hands to myself" I took another drag of my cigarette. I pushed the negative thoughts from my mind.

"Well, I'll let you get back to the guys, I just wanted to call and say hi. I miss you babe. I'll see you soon ok?"

He must not like to talk on the phone. I sighed "ok. I'll call you tomorrow. Later baby" I hung up my phone and took another drag of my cigarette, watching the sun set. It really was beautiful, the sky was pink and purple and the sun's reflection over the water made it look orange. I decided to get a picture of it and set it as my background. I finished my cigarette and walked back into the bar.

I was walking towards our table and saw from afar that Edward and Jonah were with two girls. One of the girls was sitting on Jonah's lap, rubbing her body all over him and he looked like a kid in the candy store. I smiled and looked at Edward. He was sitting there talking to the other girl and she was rubbing his bicep with her hand. _What the fuck. _I suddenly wanted to punch them both.

I walked up to the table and sat across from them. "Hi!" I said and they both completely ignored me. I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my coke. I just sat there listening to her say all the disgusting things she would do to him if he took her home. I couldn't believe someone would be that desperate. I almost felt bad for her but then I remembered she was a slut, so I didn't.

I dug through my bag and put on some nude lip gloss. What the hell, was it trying to make me jealous? Because it was working, I really wanted to rip this girl's hair out.

I listened to her literally list all the positions they could have sex and how flexible she was because she "teaches hot yoga". Please, I was going to beat her with a yoga mat if she kept this up.

I watched Edward tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and I snapped. Two can play that game. I looked around the bar for a cute guy but then I realized Edward probably wouldn't even know I left, so I decided to tease him a little bit instead.

"Maybe you should take her home Edward" I said. They both turned to look at me. FINALLY. "I bet she'd be willing to lick your ass" I said trying to keep a straight face "he's really into that kind of thing." Directing my comment to the super skank.

Edward looked at me like I was crazy. "No I'm not...What the fuck….." he said

The girl was oblivious to the fact that I was making fun of her and she turned to Edward "yeah baby, I'll give you the best rim job of your life... I'll suck on it _all_ night" she said.

I couldn't hold my poker face anymore and I started hysterically laughing. Oh my God, this girl was so stupid I was starting to feel secondhand embarrassment.

Edward looked really freaked out and shot up out of his chair, moving away from the girl "No, it's ok. I'm not into that kind of thing" he walked over to Jonah and told him that we were heading out. Jonah just waved to him.

I was still hysterically laughing, I couldn't even breathe. Edward grabbed my bag and my arm, pulling me out of the bar. I finally managed to get my composure.

"Oh my God. You should have seen you're face!" I was laughing again. "Are all girls like that to you?"

He rolled his eyes and handed me my bag, which I took from him. He linked his fingers in mine and I looked around to see if anyone was watching us. No one seemed to even notice Edward, so I left our hands intertwined.

"Yeah, you'd be surprised, most girls are like that." He said.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks "Yikes."

"Were you talking to him?" He turned to me and stopped walking.

I didn't know what to say. Didn't he tell me last night that didn't want to know about Jake? Was this a test? "No. it was Angela" I quickly changed gears "Is that why you were flirting with that girl? You wanted to make me jealous?" I smiled and tugged his hand to start walking again.

"Maybe. I can't believe you told her I liked my ass licked" he started laughing.

I erupted into another fit of giggles. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I guess I got a _little_ jealous when I saw you two together" I said.

"Good to know, Miss Swan. Are you hungry? We were supposed to get dinner." He asked

"Yes! I'm starving!" I said as I rubbed my belly.

We stopped at a food truck and got some tacos and sat at a picnic table. "So, tell me something about yourself, I feel like I don't know anything about you" I said as I took a bite of my chicken taco.

He took a bite of his taco "What do you want to know?" he said with his mouth full. Gross.

"Umm... Where did you grow up?" I asked and took a sip of water.

"Here in Los Angeles" he said.

My eyes must have been wide "Oh, are your parents still here?"

He nodded.

I took another bite of my taco, chewing slowly. "So, why didn't you stay with them? I asked

He sighed and shoved the rest of his taco in his mouth, it was kind of disgusting. "We um, are kind of estranged" he said and took a sip from his coke. "I really don't feel like talking about my parents, Bella." His tone made it clear that this was a no go zone.

"Oh" I wonder what happened. Maybe I could Google it, I'm sure it's online somewhere.

I needed to change the subject. "So did Emmett tell you he was going on a date with my cousin?" I asked.

He looked up at me "No, I didn't know that" He ate his other taco in two bites.

Oh. Does he not talk to Emmett either? No wait, Emmett's his manager. "Well, I don't know if they went on a date yet but I saw her a week ago and they made plans to go get a drink. I'll have to call her tomorrow and see what's going on."

"That's nice" he said. What the hell is wrong with him? Why was he being so weird?

"Is something wrong?" I asked as I scrunched up my foil wrapper into a ball.

"No everything's fine, you done?" He stood up at grabbed our trash and his coke. Ok, I guess were leaving. I grabbed my bag and bottle of water and we walked in silence to the car.

We got into the car, still not speaking. "Ok, what's the deal?" I said and looked at him "and don't tell me everything's fine because it's obviously not."

"Bella, can you just fucking drop it?" He sounded furious. Like the time I messed up his Range Rover furious. I was a little taken aback.

"Ok. I'm sorry but I just want you to know you can talk to me about stuff, ok?" I said trying to keep my voice even.

He nodded and turned on the radio. Well I guess we weren't going to talk. I dug through my bag and lit a cigarette. I was stressed and I needed something to calm my nerves and since I couldn't exactly have a drink, it was the next best thing. I was about to put the pack back into my bag when Edward grabbed it and lit a cigarette.

"I haven't had one of these in years" he took a long drag "damn, that's good." I rolled down my window and backed out of the spot, being careful not to hit anything around me. Edward was already pissed, I didn't needed to add any fuel to the fire.

We drove back to LA in silence, listening to classic rock on the radio. I pulled the car in the garage and let out a sigh of relief we made it back in one piece. Edward got out of the car and walked into the house, not even waiting for me. What the fuck? I guess I really struck a nerve today, but how was I supposed to know he didn't talk to his parents.

I saw him in the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water and started to walk out of the room "I'm beat, I'm going to bed" he was halfway up the stairs "are you coming?" he yelled.

What the hell? "Yeah, I'm coming" I grabbed a bottle of water and my stuff, walking upstairs. I went into my room and put on black satin camisole with satin shorts. I walked into the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face. Before I left my room I grabbed my bottle of Klonopin, just in case.

I walked into Edward's room and he was laying in bed with his arm over his head. I cuddled up next to him, hoping we could have sex and move past this awkward moment. I ran my hand down his chest and trailed my finger down his happy trail and hooked a finger underneath the elastic band of his boxers. He grabbed my wrist. "Not tonight. I'm tired, let's just go to bed. Ok?" he said.

What the fuck. I was pissed. I rolled over and grabbed a Klonopin, washing it down with some water. I didn't even bother to cuddle up next to him. I just kept my back to him and fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning and instantly looked for a note from Edward, except there wasn't one. Well, I guess he's still mad at me. I looked at my phone and it was only 10… Hm.. What the hell am I going to do all day? I threw off the covers and walked downstairs. I ate a bowl of fruity pebbles and looked out the window. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was an ideal day to work on my tan. I ran back upstairs and put on a light pink triangle bikini that had silver sequins on the top and a very tiny bottom. I ran into my bathroom, quickly brushed my teeth, grabbed my baby oil and two towels.

I got a bottle of water from the fridge and walked outside. I moved a lounge chair so it was in the perfect position to get maximum sun exposure and lathered my body up with the baby oil. I rubbed the oil off my hands and grabbed my phone to call Rosalie.

"Hey Bella! How is LA treating you?" She sounded happy.

"Hey! I'm good! I'm actually laying out right now! How are you doing? You sound happy!" I asked.

"Bells, I'm great! I went out with Emmett on Tuesday and he is _amazing_! We've seen each other every day since then!" She was gushing.

"Shut up! Really? Maybe I should become a matchmaker!" I laughed

"I think you should. It's a little soon, but I think I really like him. He's fucking unbelievable in the bedroom… I can barely walk!" she laughed.

I've never heard Rosalie talk like this before. Usually she says guys are alright or ok or not up to her standards. So this was new! "Rose! I'm really happy for you!"

"Yeah. Well it looks like I should be happy for you too, I saw you in US Weekly this morning!"

Uh oh. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You're in Us with Jacob Black! Bella, why didn't you tell me Jake was _Jacob Black!_ Does Charlie know about him? He's gonna flip!"

Oh shit, my dad wasn't the only person who was going to flip out. They had to be from when we were in AC, I wonder which one's they are… "I don't know! I didn't think it was a big deal" I sighed "I didn't tell Charlie yet but I'm kind of excited to, it's going to be the first boyfriend I bring home that my dad will actually approve of… At least I hope!" I laughed a little.

"Yeah, I'm still sure he'll still run a background check though! Hey, I gotta run, I have a meeting in ten minutes! Have fun in LA! You should rub those pictures of you and Jake in Edward's face, let him know that you're a hot commodity!" she laughed "love you! Talk to you soon, k?"

We hung up the phone and I was a little nervous about the pictures. Whatever happened between Edward and I last night obviously pissed him off and I'm not sure if he is even over it yet and now I don't know what's going to happen if he see's those pictures. Whatever, I wasn't going to think about this because I always seem to overreact about things. He probably doesn't even pay attention to tabloids. I pushed the thoughts from my mind and played a Rihanna station on Pandora.

This is such a perfect day. I would take a dip in the pool, flip sides and lay out some more, take a dip in the pool, flip sides and so on. I was making my way out of the pool and I was wondering why I was even bothering wearing a bikini top, no one was around, so I pulled off my top and rubbed some baby oil over my pale chest. I already had very distinct tan lines and I've only been laying out, I looked at my phone for the time, for three hours. I set my phone down and relaxed, feeling the warm sun on my skin.

_Bella… wake up… Bella…._

Someone was shaking me. My eyes popped open and it took awhile to adjust in the bright light.

"Sunbathing topless I see?" Edward said.

I smiled "HI!" I sat up and gave him a kiss "I wouldn't do it any other way" I said as I trailed kisses along his jaw.

I felt his hands move up my sides and he started caressing my boobs but his hands would slip because of the oil. "You're so greasy, I can't get my hands on you" he scooped me up and before I knew what he was doing, he threw me in the pool.

"What the hell!" I said as I popped out of the water.

He was laughing. "Relax drama queen." He kicked off his shoes and stripped off all his clothes and dove into the pool. I swam over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He kissed me passionately and we ended up having sex in the pool, again.

"I brought home Chinese, we should probably go in and eat" he kissed me and started to swim out of the pool.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and tossed me the other one. "So I talked to Emmett today" he said as we were seated at the table.

I laughed "I talked to Rosalie today too! Did Emmett say anything about her?" I took a bite of my chicken and broccoli and started bouncing up and down in my chair.

He swallowed the food in his mouth "yes he did."

"Oh come on! If you tell me what he said I'll tell you what she said!"

"Ok, ok. He said he really likes her… which is unheard of for Emmett… he's more of a hit it and quit it kind of guy." He laughed.

Ahhh! "Shut up! Well Rosalie told me she likes him too and she said she could barely walk today! So he's doing something right!" I laughed.

He looked at me "Hm… maybe we'll be family some day." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I pictured my whole family together for Christmas: my mom, Aunt Vic, Rosalie, Alice and myself cooking in the kitchen…. my dad, Uncle Seth, Jazz, Emmett and Edward drinking wine and talking in the living room. The thought of Edward being there with my family made me extremely happy… but I quickly realized it was because I was picturing him as my husband, not my cousin-in-law.

I looked up at him and smiled "Maybe."


	14. Chapter 14

**** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER****

*****PLEASE REVIEW!*****

* * *

**Chapter 14**

I was just finishing packing my stuff up when Edward walked into my room "Are you all packed?" he asked as he jumped onto the bed, lying back with his hands tucked behind his head.

I zipped up my last suitcase, "Yep. I'm all ready to go!" I tried to hide the excitement from my voice because I couldn't deal with getting into another fight with Edward. Ever since I told him last week that I wanted to go back to New York he's been in a really pissy mood.

I loved spending time with Edward but I've barely seen him the last two weeks because he's been practically living on set. I would maybe see him for an hour a day and I was going out of my mind sitting home alone all the time. I even started talking to one of James' weird Voodoo dolls, I named her Veronica. I figured if I couldn't be with Edward, it'd be better if I at least had my friends with me…. and Jake, if that was even still an option. I've barely spoken with him since I came out to LA too. I told myself it was because he hasn't seen me in a month and I needed to remind him what he's been missing. At least I hoped.

"Do you really have to leave? Couldn't you stay another week?" Edward walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing my ass.

I kissed him quickly on the lips. "Please, can we not do this? I've been here for a month and I was only supposed to stay 2 weeks…Plus its Rosalie's birthday tomorrow and I have to be there. She'll kill me if I miss it." I really wanted to get home.

Edward picked me up and threw me on the bed, climbing on top of me. He was running a trail of kisses down my neck as his hands were rubbing my pussy through my jeans. Mmm, that felt amazing. I tried to push away from him "Edward, please I know what you're trying to do! You're going to make me miss my flight!"

"I'll make it quick" he said. We already had sex three times this morning, what more could this guy want? He unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down along with my underwear. He starting rubbing my clit with his index finger and I suddenly couldn't care less if I missed my flight, I'll just get on a later one. He shoved three fingers inside me and I gasped. He was moving them around, almost tickling me with them, God that feels good. I pulled my shirt off over my head and unhooked my pink bra. I started rubbing my boobs, rolling my nipples between my thumb and pointer finger, moaning because he knew exactly where to touch me.

I could feel Edward's erection on my leg. I removed my hands from my body and undid his pants. He pulled his fingers from me and I started rubbing myself against his leg because I missed the contact. He laughed and kicked off his pants as he gently entered me. "Ah" he moaned. Our bodies were pressed together and he was gently rocking back and forth on top of me. He cupped his hand around my chin and kissed me passionately.

I managed to hook my leg around him and roll us over, so I was on top. I straddled Edward, resting my hands on his chest as I rocked my body back and forth, slowly running up and down his length."Fuck. Bella" he moaned as he started pinching and pulling at my nipples. I was riding him and he was pushing his hips up as I was moving down on him. I moaned.

He sat up and started thrusting into me a little deeper and I cried out. Fuck, I was so close, I could feel my pussy tightening around him. He held my hips in place as he started quickly slamming into me and I screamed out his name as I came. Edward kept slamming into me, sucking and biting on my neck. After a few more blissful minutes I felt his thrusts start to become erratic and he came inside me, falling back onto the bed pulling me with him.

We lied their entwined together for a moment, catching our breath. He was rubbing his hand down my back "I'm really going to miss you" he said.

I kissed him on the lips and peeled myself off of him. "I'm going to miss you too." I walked over and picked up my purple lace panties, pulling them on. Edward grabbed his pants and threw them on and started to walk out of the room, "Wait here, I got you something."

I grabbed my jeans off the floor and put them on along with my pink bra and grey long sleeved shirt. I grabbed my knitted black scarf and wrapped it around my neck as I sat on the bed waiting for him to come back. I put on a pair of black flip flops…. I wonder what he got me? I was giddy with anticipation.

He walked back into the room holding a pink gift bag. He handed me the bag and I ripped out the tissue paper and pulled out an Ipad that had a zebra rhinestone cover.

"AH! You got me an Ipad!" I was bouncing up and down on the bed! I opened the cover and unlocked it. Looking through all the different folders, he put a ton of songs into my library, along with a bunch of games and there were even all the books by my favorite authors.

"Yep. I have one too, I figured we could FaceTime when you're back in New York." He said as he tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

Ahhh that was so sweet. I put the Ipad down on the bed and threw myself at him, kissing him deeply. I pulled away. "Thank you! I love it! Even the case is perfect!" He kissed me back.

He laughed. "I thought you would like that, now come on, you've got a plane to catch." He stood up and pulled his Led Zepplin t-shirt on. He grabbed two of my bags as I put my Ipad into my new metallic Chole, Marcie satchel bag. Edward got it for me after we got in an explosive fight over the pictures of Jake and me in Us Weekly. I felt a little weird accepting it... but the bag was fantastic, so how could I say no? Whoever said money couldn't buy happiness was not buying the right stuff.

Edward came back up and grabbed my other two suitcases as I went to the bathroom and looked myself over one last time in the mirror. I combed my fingers through my hair and made sure my false eyelashes were still on. I walked out of the room and felt a little sad that I was leaving LA.

Edward was putting my bags into the car and I decided I wanted to take Veronica home with me. I figured James had enough weird shit here, he probably wouldn't even know she was gone. Anyway, we really bonded these past couple weeks. I quickly shoved her into my bag and zipped it up as I walked out to the car.

Edward drove the whole way to LAX holding my hand. When we got to the airport there were paparazzi waiting outside the terminal. What the hell? Do they just hang out here waiting for celebrities? Edward noticed them and started mumbling something as he got out of the car and got my bags from the trunk. The paparazzi started snapping pictures of us "Did you have a nice trip in LA? Isabella, are you excited to get home to Jake?" They asked as Edward and I walked into the terminal.

I rolled my eyes. Ever since I was pictured in Us Weekly with Jake, I was no longer 'Edward's mystery woman'. I was 'Isabella, girlfriend of NY Giant's hunk'. I looked over at Edward and his mouth was set in a hard line. Lovely. He walked me over to the ticket counter in silence and I checked in. Edward gave me a weird one armed hung since we were in public and I suddenly wished I could just kiss him but I knew that it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Have a safe flight, ok? Call me when you land." He gave me one of his sexy lopsided grins.

"Later baby" I said smiling as I was walking away towards security. I blew him a quick kiss and hoped nobody got a picture of it.

Eight hours later, I was walking back into my apartment feeling extremely happy.

"Honey, I'M HOME!" I called out.

I heard a thud and then I saw Angela running towards me. She ran into me with such force, I flew back into the door as she pulled me into the biggest hug.

"Oh Bella! I've missed you so much! Let me look at you" she pulled back and was studying me.

"Holy shit you're tan! Were you even working in LA or where you just laying out the entire time?" She laughed.

I was laughing "God, I've missed you" I said and pulled her into another hug.

"Ok. So spill, tell me everything about LA!"

I walked over to the couch and curled my legs up under me as Angela brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"God, where do I even begin?" I decided to start with Veronica and grabbed my bag digging around for the weird doll. "This" I held it up "is Veronica and she gives you some kind of idea of what the fuck James Franco's house is like."

Angela's mouth fell open and she grabbed the doll from my hands "What the hell is this thing?" She said turning it around in her hands.

"I have no idea" I poured the wine into our glasses and handed her one, "Cheers to being back on the East Coast" I said as we clinked our glasses together.

"So, I have something else to tell you… something big" I sad after I took a big gulp of my wine.

Her eyes where wide "You're pregnant" she said.

I rolled my eyes and held up the glass of wine "Um. No?" I said laughing "but Edward and I are kind of together?" I squeezed my eyes shut. I was scared to see her reaction.

She started laughing, "Bells, I figured that much when your trip went from no more than a week, to a month. I'm just pissed you didn't tell me sooner!" She slapped my leg.

I opened my eyes and she was smiling. "Well, that's the other thing…" I said and I quickly recapped the whole situation with dating both Jake and Edward.

Her eyebrows knitted together. "Wait, you're still with Jake?" she asked skeptically.

I sighed. "Well, that's problem, I'm not quite sure. You know how we never really defined our relationship?" I took a sip of my wine and she nodded. "Well now I'm even more confused about it because I haven't really talked to him the last couple of weeks. So I'm not even sure he's still interested in me…"

She was rubbing her forehead with her hand. This couldn't be good. She only did that when she was nervous.

"Ok, what do you know?" I asked her.

She let out a puff of air "OK, before I say anything, don't shoot the messenger." She took a sip of her wine and I nodded at her.

"Well, Ben told me yesterday that Laruen and Jake have went out on a few dates and I didn't know how to tell you and I figured it would be best if I waited to tell you in person… and I'm really sorry."

I was so confused. _What the_ _fuck. _I gulped down the rest of my wine and poured myself another glass sitting there thinking that whole situation over. Jake and Lauren? "WHAT THE FUCK" taking a sip of my wine "Well… I mean… what the fuck?" I drained the rest of my glass, again.

Angela started rubbing my arm "Bells, say something besides what the fuck" she looked so concerned.

"I mean, I guess I can't really get mad at him. I went away and I was only suppose to be gone a week and it turned into a month. Meanwhile, the whole time I'm sleeping with Edward… So what did I expect? Him to sit at home and twiddle his thumbs, waiting for me to return? Plus I'd be a hypocrite if I actually got mad at him about it." Angela poured more wine in my glass. "I guess that explains why I haven't heard from him…."

By Angela's relieved expression, I could tell she thought this conversation was going to go in the opposite direction. "So, you're ok with Jake dating Lauren?"

Is she high? "Hell no I'm not _okay_ with it!" I smiled "that girl is a bitch and anyway, I still like Jake. A lot, so I'm not giving up that easily."

She gave me a wicked grin "Bells, I think California was good for you."

I sipped my wine and smiled. "Me too. So, are they like boyfriend-girlfriend or did they just go out on some dates? Wait, how did they even meet?"

She looked a little nervous "I'm not sure about the first question but they actually met at the Tada party on Valentine's Day…"

I couldn't help but laugh. That was just my freaking luck. "No way!" I leaned back onto the couch. "If I never invited him to that damn party…" I said sipping my wine.

"So, what got into you that you decided to date two guys at the same time?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know… I guess I just figured I barely knew either one enough to pick which one I liked more… So I figured why not date them both? Obviously it worked out so well…" I added sarcastically.

We chatted for awhile longer and my phone started ringing. It was Edward. Whoops I forgot to call him. I showed Angela the caller ID and did a little happy dance.

"Hi! I'm sorry! I was just so happy to see Angela I kind of forgot to call you…" I said.

He laughed "Well I'm glad to hear you made it back to New York alright. I miss you already" he said.

I smiled. "I miss you too" as Angela squealed and playfully kicked me.

He laughed "I can hear Angela, so I'll let you guys catch up. I'll FaceTime you tomorrow, don't be wearing any clothes. Bye beautiful" He hung up before I could say another word. I felt a tingling sensation between my legs. _Fuck_ I was turned on. I was smiling from ear to ear.

"Bella, I know that look" she said.

I shot up "NO! Don't say it! You'll jinx it!" Pointing at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please!"

Angela and I stayed up talking until two AM, when I headed to bed since I had to wake up early and go home to Jersey for Rosalie's birthday. I suddenly was really excited to see my parents.

I brought all my bags to my room and stripped down to my underwear, by the time my head hit the pillow I was out.

I woke up the next morning confused. I was so use to being in LA that I panicked when I opened my eyes and saw hot pink walls. I fell back on the bed and let out a puff of air.

I looked at my phone and it was eleven o'clock. Shit, I better get moving if I have to be in Jersey by two. I threw off the covers and rummaged through my suitcases for my bathroom bag. I unpacked my bathroom stuff and took a quick shower. I quickly got ready, rummaging for some clean clothes. I ended up wearing a pair of red skinny jeans and a super loose, long sleeved, white top that had triangle cutouts down the arms.

I quickly applied my makeup and blew out my hair, running my flat iron over the ends. I put on a long, gold necklace that tied in a knot and added some gold bangles. I threw on a pair of four inch, black ankle boots and grabbed my purse, a black leather jacket and Rosalie's present, heading out the door.

I took the subway to Port Authority and took a bus to Woodcliff Lake. When I walked off the bus I was so happy to see my dad waiting there in his black Tahoe.

I ran up to the car and jumped into the passenger seat, giving him a big hug.

"Daddy! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hey princess! You look beautiful!" he pulled away from me and kissed me on the forehead.

I was smiling. He filled me in on what's been going on at the police station when we pulled up to my childhood home. My white Nissan Altima was still parked in my little parking spot on the side of the house. I smiled, the little colonial looked exactly the same, the only thing that was different was the door was painted bright red. "What happened to the door?" I said as we got out of the car.

My dad laughed "Oh, you're mom's been watching HGTV, she said we needed to boost our curb appeal or something. Wait until you see what she did with the inside." He was shaking his head back and forth.

I rolled my eyes. That was so typical of Renee, she always was up to something new to keep her busy. First it was scrapbooking, then it was jewelry making, then she went to school to be a masseuse.

We walked into the house and I didn't even recognize it. "Oh my God! It looks great in here!" The walls were painted a beautiful toffee color and had a classic white wainscoting along the bottom half of the wall. I looked into the dining room and our old shabby table was replaced with a sleek modern black table and matching black chairs, the whole room was staged to look like it belonged in a magazine. I looked into the living room and I saw my dad's black leather lazy boy chair, I'm assuming Charlie refused to get rid of it, and then a sleek beige sectional that faced a huge flat screen TV that hung on the wall, the rest of the room was decorated with all sorts of accents.

I heard my mom call out from the kitchen, "Is that my beautiful girl!" I walked into the kitchen and it was completely different as well. The cabinets were all white and there was a tan granite countertop and stainless steel appliances. "Hi mom! I love what you did with the house, it looks amazing!" I said as she pulled me into the biggest hug.

"Bella! You look fantastic!" she pulled back from me, keeping her arms on my shoulders "you look like you got a nice tan, I guess you weren't working very hard in Los Angeles" she said as she pulled me into another huge hug.

I was glad she did, so she couldn't see the blush that spread across my cheeks. Someone was working me hard, just not in the business sense.

I sat down with my parents and we talked and I caught them up on everything that was going on with me. Well except for the dating two guys, one of which being my boss part.

"So" my mom said "Rosalie told Vic that you have a boyfriend, who is this guy?" She asked and my dad let out a grunt, walking over to the fridge to get a beer.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. I'm not really sure what the deal is with him right now, I've been in LA for so long and we haven't really gotten to talk much…" I said.

My mom grabbed my hand "aww baby. I'm sure it will all work out. What's his name?" she asked

I took a deep breath and looked at my dad "Jacob Black" I said and gave him a huge smile.

He practically choked on his beer and he was coughing like crazy. "Charles! Are you all right?" My mom shot up and started rubbing his back. He waved his hands at her.

Once he regained his composure "Jacob Black? You're not talking about _Jacob Black, _are you?" he said.

Renee looked confused "Charles, are you ok? She just said his name was Jacob Black. Pay attention" she rolled her eyes and sat back down in her chair.

I stifled a laugh "Yes, dad. That Jacob Black"

Renee's eyes shot back and forth between the both of us "What am I missing here?" she asked.

I laughed and explained to her who Jake was.

"Oh my God! You have to bring him over sometime, I'd love to meet him!" she said.

I let out a sigh "Yeah, well, let me figure out if we're still dating first, ok?"

Charlie grunted "Bells, not for nothing, who does this guy think he is? He thinks he can string you along like this? I don't like him. I don't want you dating a pro athlete, I know what those boys are like and that's not the type of guy I want dating my little girl." His face was all red and he was talking to me in his 'police cheif' voice.

I rolled my eyes and Renee chimed in. "Charlie, you say that about every boy she dates, no wonder she doesn't bring anyone home to meet me!" She pointed a finger at him "Now leave her alone because I do want grandchildren some day!"

"Oh please! I'm only 23!" I said standing to get a drink from the fridge.

"Actually, we should really head over to Victoria's house. Everyone's supposed to be there at 3 and I don't want to be late!"

I sighed and shut the fridge and grabbed my bag and Rosalie's present.

We all piled in my dad's Tahoe and drove five minutes to my Aunt Vic's house. We walked in the door and I was bombarded by Rosalie who pulled me into a huge hug.

"Hi!" I said a little stunned that she was attacking me like this.

I saw Emmett walk around the corner and I broke out into a huge smile. "Well, fancy seeing you here" I said as he pulled me into a huge hug, he was squeezing me so tight I thought he was going to crush my ribs.

"How's my idiot brother doing? Hope he showed you a good time in LA." he nudged me and I got the felling he knew _exactly_ what went on in LA.

I felt my face grow hot. "Um. He's fine" I said and walked into the kitchen to say hi to My Aunt Vic and Uncle Seth.

"Bebe! Bebe!" I heard as I felt little hands grab my leg.

I smiled and bent down, picking up Stella and giving her a big hug. "Hi pretty girl! I've missed you!" I said as my cousin Jasper and his wife Alice walked into the kitchen.

I set her down and she ran over to Alice "Mommy! Can I show Bebe my new dolly?" and she ran out of the room. I said hi to Alice and Jasper giving them both big hugs.

"You and Angela haven't burned our apartment down right?" Jasper said as he handed me a glass of wine.

"Ha-ha, there may have been a small fire but we got it under control before we caused any major damage" I said smiling as I took a sip of my wine.

His eyes were wide. "Relax Jazz, I'm kidding!" I said.

I was talking to Alice as Stella ran in with a baby doll dressed in the same pink dress she was wearing. She was so freaking adorable. "I can't believe how big she got since Christmas" I said as I picked her up.

"I know" Alice said smiling at her "I, we, actually have something we want to ask you" she looked up at Jasper and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Uh oh, were they kicking me out of their apartment? They couldn't possibly be moving back into the city… I took a sip of my wine and put on a brave face "What?" I asked trying to remain calm as I put Stella down.

"Well, to start off, I'm pregnant!" she shrieked!

"Oh my God! Alice! That's amazing! How far along are you? You can't tell at all!" I said. Which I was surprised, she was so freaking tiny I found it hard to believe that at one time Stella was inside of her, let alone there was a baby inside her now.

She smiled and rubbed her belly "I'm three months today" she said "and, we want you to be the Godmother to our new baby. If you want to, that is..." they were both beaming at me.

I felt tears start to well up in my eyes. "Oh my God. Are you serious? OF COURSE I WILL!" I was jumping up and down and pulled them both into a big hug! "You really want me to be the Godmother?" I couldn't believe it.

"Yes! Jazz thinks of you as a sister and I do too, you've embraced me as part of the family since day one. Plus, you're so good with Stella and she's obsessed with you. So, we couldn't think of a better person to be the Godmother of our new baby" She smiled.

I pulled her into another hug. "Ahh! This is so exciting! Thank you so much!" I bent down so I was eye level with her belly "Hi baby! I'm your new Godmommy!" I said. "Oh my God! I need to go tell my Mom!" I said as I ran out of the room.

An hour later, we were all sitting down at the table to eat. Though, I didn't think I could eat anymore I had so much antipasto, but one look at the table and I was salivating. There was baked ziti, eggplant rollatini, chicken piccata, sausage and peppers, meatballs and pasta, I was in heaven. We all sat and talked and I was amazed to see how well Emmett fit in with the family. I still couldn't get over the fact that those two were together, let alone how Rosalie was draping herself all over him. I felt a pang in my stomach, wishing Edward was here with us.

Of course the conversation steered to how Rosalie and Emmett met, which then led to the table talking about Edward.

"Honey, why did you tell me you were working for Edward Collier if you're working for Edward _Cullen_" Renee said.

I rolled my eyes "I did tell you Edward Cullen, Mom, you must have gotten confused" I said as I took a sip of wine. I could feel Emmett's eyes boring into me.

I heard Charlie laugh "It doesn't take much, does it honey?" he said and she slapped his arm.

"So, what did he have you do in LA?" Rosalie asked "You couldn't have been doing much, when I talked to her she was sun bathing!" she just _had_ to tell everyone that.

I felt my face grow hot. "Oh you know. The usual stuff… Mostly running his errands and helping him go over his lines." I took a sip of my wine. This was so awkward talking about Edward with Emmett here. I needed to change the subject before I said anything too revealing.

"You'll never guess whose house we were staying at." I waited a bit for everyone to say their guesses.

"James Franco!" I said.

They all continued talking, luckily dropping the subject of Edward. I let out a sigh of relief and looked over at Emmett and he was staring at me.

_He knew_. I gave him a small smile and took a sip of my drink.

I help my mom and Aunt Vic clean up the table while everyone else sat around the dining room talking. I heard my dad and Emmett joking around like they were best buddies. Seriously, I've never heard my dad be that friendly with someone who wasn't one of his poker buddies. I wonder if he would get along that well with Edward… Yeah right! My dad would probably take him out back and show him how good of a shot he has. It wouldn't be the first time that he subtley threatened one of my boyfriend's with a gun.

Once we were done cleaning, Rosalie opened her presents. She loved the black Prada Cat-eye sunglasses I got her and she pulled me into a big hug. "You must tell me about your trip to LA later, I'm dying to know what happened with Edward" she whispered in my ear. What the hell! What did Edward tell Emmett and what did Emmett tell Rose! I felt my face grow hot.

The night finished without any more talk about Edward and I was thankful. Charlie and I were about to leave to go to the bus station when I heard Emmett "We can take Bella home. I drove out here so she can just tag along with us back to the city!" Oh great.

"That's great" Charlie said clapping Emmett on the back. An hour later, the three of us piled into Emmett's black Porsche Cayenne. Rosalie turned around to face me "So, spill what happened with Edward!" she said as Emmett backed out of the driveway.

"Uh. Nothing? What do you mean?" I asked trying to gage what she knew.

"Well, did you show him the pictures of you and Jake? Did he get jealous?" she asked.

I gave her a serious look and shot my eyes over to Emmett to ask her silently what the fuck she was doing talking about Edward in front of him. She waved her hand "oh please, Emmett doesn't care. He's all for you making Eddie jealous" she said as she massaged his shoulder.

"You are?" I asked him skeptically.

"Yeah, I love messing with his head. The guy is always so uptight" he said.

Edward is a little uptight… but I pushed that thought from my mind. What the hell is going on? Doesn't he know what is going on between me and Edward? And better yet, if I talk about Edward in front of him is he going to run and tell him what I said? I better play it safe.

"Oh um, no I didn't show him the pictures…" I said

"What! Why the hell not?" she asked.

I sighed "I don't know Rose. Things got kind of weird between Jake and I when I was in LA. I haven't really talked to him in a week…" I said.

Shit. I really hope Emmett doesn't tell Edward this; I made such a big deal about dating the both of them. I didn't want to seem like a loser because the other guy dumped me before I even got the chance to actually date him.

"Aww. Bells, I'm sorry. Maybe you should make it up to him, show up to his apartment wearing a trench coat and nothing else!" She said and Emmett started coughing like crazy. "Baby, are you ok?" she said and rubbed his arm.

I saw him look at me in the rear view mirror.

I didn't say anything back to Rosalie but maybe that would be a good way to get him back. At least that would distract him from that bitch Lauren Newton for a minute. But then that would be really embarrassing if he turns me down and I'm standing there naked. I sighed. What the hell was I going to do? I can't believe he was dating _Lauren Newton_! Of all the people in New York City, I had to be interested in two guys that were dating the only two girls I hated. Well, maybe there were more than two…

Emmett and Rosalie dropped me off outside my apartment "Thanks for the ride!" I hopped out of the car and walked into my building. When I got into my apartment, it was quiet. "Hello? Ang, are you home?" I called out but I was greeted by silence. Hmm.. guess I was home alone. I walked into my bedroom and looked at the mess.

I could barely walk in there, my suitcases and clothing were completely covering the floor. I decided I needed to tidy up. I gathered all my dirty clothes and threw them in my laundry basket. I unpacked all my other things, tucking my suitcases away in the hall closet. At least that was done. I looked at the time and it was 8:30. I sighed, wondering what to do.

I grabbed my Ipad to see if Edward FaceTime'd me yet. There was nothing. I flopped down onto my bed and decided to call Jake. I took a deep breath and pressed send.

"Hello?" he said.

"Jake? Hi, it's Bella…" I said a little timidly.

"Hey. How are you?"

Ugh. Why is he being so formal with me. "Um, I'm good. I'm actually back in New York…" I said.

"Cool. When did you get back?"

"Uh, yesterday. Anyway, I was wondering if you would want to grab a drink this week?" I was so nervous. Please say yes.

"Uh… I mean, let me check my schedule. Can I get back to you?"

Wow, this was not what I was expecting. "Are you serious?"

"yeah, I have a lot of stuff going on, not like you would know" he said.

Whoa. What the hell got his boxers in a twist "Whatever, If you're too busy, then forget it." I said. God, this was so embarrassing, I didn't know what to do so I just hung up.

I rolled over onto my stomach and felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. It looks like that same lonely feeling I had in LA followed me back to New York. I guess it's true, you can't run from you're problems. Maybe I'm the problem? Why am I never satisfied with what I have?

My phone started ringing and I looked at the caller ID, Jake.

I pressed ignore and screamed into my pillow. I grabbed my prescription of Klonopin and took a pill, walking into the kitchen for a bottle of water. I walked back into my room, stripped off my clothes and curled up into bed.

I woke up and looked around my room. It was dark… hmm… I looked at the clock on my nightstand and it was 7:30. Shit, I was asleep for almost 24 hours. I grabbed my phone and saw I had 17 missed calls, ten text messages and 5 voice mails. Hmm..I opened up my missed calls and a majority of them were from Edward and there were 3 from Jake… I wave of embarrassment ran though my body when I thought about my last conversation with him. I sighed and opened my text messages. Again most of them were from Edward wondering where the hell I was, stalker.

Then there was one from Jake, it was sent this morning:

Hey. I'm sorry I was being a jackass. Want to grab a drink tonight?

I felt my heart beat fast in my chest. Should I meet him for a drink tonight? I decided to think about it while I took a shower. I quickly showered and walked back into my room and my phone was ringing. I ran over to it and saw it was Edward.

"Hi baby! I said happy to hear from him.

"WHAT THE FUCK BELLA? You leave here and you can't even bother to call me back? Maybe you should stop being a whore and GET OFF JACOB BLACK'S DICK FOR FIVE MINUTES AND THINK ABOUT SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOUR FUCKING SELF." He was screaming at me.

I was speechless.

Then I was furious.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I was practically screaming. "I was with my family all day yesterday and I just woke up an hour ago! I was fucking exhausted from fucking_ you_ all week._" _I took a deep breath to fight the tears that were running down my cheeks.

The line was silent for awhile. "Bella I'm-" Edward was saying but I cut him off.

"No. Fuck off." I hung up the phone with shaky hands.

I started crying hard and my phone started ringing again. It was Edward. I hit ignore. I can't believe he just called me a whore… Well I guess I deserved that one. But still, I felt disgusting and cheap. I looked at the Ipad and the Chloe bag. What the hell, maybe I was a whore. What was I thinking? Going to LA and having sex with him and letting him buy me all these gifts to make up for the fights we got in.

I walked out into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge. I sat in my towel on my bed, drinking the wine straight from the bottle. How did everything get so messed up?

I pulled myself together, telling myself crying wouldn't do me any good. I hated Edward. I hated Jake and most of all, I hated myself.

Edward called me ten more times. Each time I hit ignore and then I decided to just turn my phone off. I sat there, staring at my wall, drinking wine.

Angela walked into the apartment and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me "Hey! You're up! Jetlag must be a bitch" she walked into my room and her eyebrows knitted together "Bella, what's wrong?"

I looked over at her "Oh nothing, I'm just a whore apparently" I said as I took another sip from the bottle.

"Who called you a whore?" she sat down on my bed and rubbed my arms.

"Edward" I said

"Oh"

I just nodded my head and took the last sip of wine. "I'm out of wine" I said.

"Bella… is everything ok? What happened with Edward?"

I shook my head "I don't want to talk about it, I need to get my mind off these asshole guys. Want to go out tonight?" I asked finally looking at her.

Her face grew into a huge smile "Yeah, I was just coming in to ask you if you wanted to go out, Mike and Ben want to see you since you're back from LA. They got a table at Scarlet NYC for tonight. Sunday Funday!"

It felt like a weight was being lifted off my shoulders, I was going to see my friends, finally! I realized how much I missed Ben and Mike. "Good, I defiantly need to let loose tonight!" I said as I got up out of my bed looking through my closet for something to wear.

"Ok! I'll let you get dressed and I'm going to go shower!" She pulled me into a hug and left my room.

I threw on a black lace thong and a black strapless bra since it was the only one I had left that was clean. I threw on a pair of yoga pants and blew out my hair. I ran a flat iron over the ends and decided I wanted to rock some big hair, so I teased the crown and pinned it back so it was half up, half down.

I did a really dramatic smokey eye and put on my false lashes. I added some blush and bronzer to my already brown skin. I looked at the clock and it was ten thirty. Angela popped into my room. "What are you wearing?" she asked.

I sighed. "I have no idea! Nothing I have is doing it for me" I looked at her

"I have the perfect dress for you!" she said as she ran back into her room.

She came back into my room holding a sleeveless, Pepto-Bismol pink bandage dress. She shoved it into my hands. "You won't be able to wear a bra with it because it's backless but it would look totally hot on you! Especially with your tan!"

I took off my bra and pulled the dress over my head. It hit me just below my ass and the front of the dress dipped down into a wide v, barely covering my nipples. Damn I'm going to have to put on some pasties so I don't have a nip slip tonight!

I dug in my underwear drawer, looking for my nude pasties. "Ang, this dress is to die for! You sure you don't mind me wearing it?" I asked

She laughed. "I defiantly wouldn't be able to fill it out as good as you do" cupping her hands over her little boobs, "so it's all yours honey!"

I found my pasties holding them up. "Aha! Just let me know if my boobs make an appearance tonight, ok?" I said and we both laughed.

"I'll go get the vodka while you cover up your titties" she laughed and walked out of my room.

I put on the pasties and readjusted my top, damn I looked really good. I suddenly wished Edward could see me in this dress, but I pushed the thought out of my mind. Asshole.

I was putting on my Ruthie Davis pumps as Angela came back in holding a bottle of Belvedere and two shot glasses.

She set the stuff down on the desk next to my Ipad.

"When did you get an Ipad?" she picked it up and started playing with it.

I filled up two shots "yeah, asshole number one bought me it so we could FaceTime…" I said as I handed her a shot.

"Aww, that's kind of cute" she said and I rolled my eyes.

"I thought so too" we held up our glasses and took a shot.

Five shots later, we were heading up to the guys apartment with our bottle of Belvedere. Angela walked right into their apartment, yelling "Party's here!"

I saw Mike and Jessica sitting on the couch and I ran over to them both, giving them each a huge hug. I guess I was feeling friendly in my drunken state.

"Bells! You look great. LA suits you well" he said.

I rolled my eyes. "I fucking hate LA" I said as Angela sat down on the couch with Ben in tow and poured us all a shot in red solo cups.

"I would like to make a toast to my best friend being back in New York, where she belongs!" Angela slurred. "We missed you Bells!"

We all clinked our plastic cups together and downed our shot. A couple shots later, we called a cab and were on our way to the club.

"Bella, where's Jake? Is he meeting us at the club?" Jessica asked.

I rolled my eyes and Mike nudged her and Ben let out a weird coughing noise.

"Were not together anymore, he's fucking Mike and Ben's sister" I said a little bitchy. Frankly I didn't know if they were sleeping together but I was pissed.

"Whoa, Bells, TMI, I don't need to think of my sister doing the nasty" Ben said.

Her eyes grew wide "Oh my God. I had no idea! I'm so sorry Bella!" She said.

"Whatever, it's not your fault" I told her as I flipped my hair over my shoulder.

"That's not what I mean, I invited Lauren out with us tonight, I hope she doesn't bring Jake" she said innocently as she batted her eyes at Mike.

What the fuck is up with this girl?

"You invited my sister?" he sounded pissed.

"Yeah! I'm sorry, I didn't know. She texted me the other day asking if I wanted to grab lunch but I was busy with work so when you told me about tonight I texted her asking if she wanted to come along… I didn't know it would be an issue" She said.

I couldn't put my finger on this girl… She keeps making passive aggressive digs at me but it's not enough to call her out on it. Whatever, I'll worry about it later "it's not an issue" I said.

We pulled up to the club and Angela and I stayed outside to smoke a cigarette.

"What the fuck is up with Jessica?" She said once they walked inside. She lit her cigarette and passed me the lighter.

"You think she's a shady bitch too?" I asked her as I lit my cigarette.

"Yeah! Well it's like she tries to get a rise out of you. First it was the Tanya stuff in AC and now she's inviting Lauren to go out with us? She _knew_ about Jake and Lauren and she _knew_ you were coming tonight. Plus, while you were in LA she kept telling me all these things about Ben, like how he slept with a ton of the producers at Tada. She's a fucking bitch" After her rant Angela took a long drag of her cigarette.

"Ugh. What a slutfaced gremlin! I think I might 'accidently' spill a drink on her tonight" I said laughing.

"Do it!" Angela said.

"What if he shows up with her tonight? I think I'll lose my mind" I said as I took a long drag of my cigarette.

"Bella, you'd be lucky if he shows up tonight. Once he see's you in that dress, he'll dump that blond troll" she laughed.

"I think of her more as a turtle" we started laughing hysterically and tossed our cigarettes, walking into the club.

We walked over to the table and sure enough, Jake and Lauren were sitting there talking to Ben, Mike and Jessica. Angela linked her arm with mine and whispered in my ear "stick your chest out!" and we dissolved into a fit of giggles as we sat down on the couches.

"Hi!" I said to everyone, mainly Jake since I was looking right at him.

I was pleased to see he was staring back at me with his mouth open while turtle face slung her arm around him possessively.

"Hey, Bella…. Uh… how was Los Angeles?" he asked flinching when Lauren touched him.

I smiled happily at his reaction. "Sunny" I said as I poured some grey goose and cranberry juice in a cup. I turned to Angela and we started talking, completely ignoring Jake and Lauren.

I looked over and Jake was watching me while Jessica and Lauren were gossiping about something, probably me because they were throwing me dirty looks. I rolled my eyes and Angela grabbed my hand, taking me out to the dance floor.

We started dancing and I felt a pair of hands on my hips. For a second I was elated, that didn't take Jake very long to ditch Lauren. I turned around and was surprised to see some skinny blonde guy. I turned back around so I wouldn't have to look at him and wrapped my arms around Angela's waist as we grinded our bodies together. Eventually Ben, Mike and Jessica found us out on the dance floor and we were all dancing together, after awhile, I signaled to Ang that I was going back to the table to get a refill.

I took a deep breath before I walked over to the table. Jake and Lauren were sitting there, cuddling on the couch. Seriously what did he see in her?

I sat down on the couch opposite them. "Don't you guys look _so cute_" I gave them a tight smile as I filled my cup up with vodka.

"I think we do" Lauren said as she leaned up and kissed Jake. He didn't even close his eyes! HA!

I made a gun with my index finger and thumb, pointing it at my head and pretending to pull the trigger. I poured some cranberry juice in my glass and got up to walk back out to the dance floor.

I was walking away when I heard some arguing and I felt a hand grab my upper arm. "Can we talk?" Jake said into my ear.

His touch gave me goose bumps all over my body.

"About what?" I was playing dumb and looked up at him, taking a big sip of my drink.

"Bella, come on, don't be like this" he said

I swallowed the rest of my drink and set my cup down on an empty table. I pulled my arm from his grasp and walked outside.

I supported myself against the wall and opened my clutch, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. I took a couple drags, cursing myself up and down. Why did I stay in LA so freaking long? Why did Edward call me a whore? Why can't things just work out for once in my life!

"So I see you still haven't kicked the habit" Jake walked over to me with his hands in his pockets.

"Nope" I said as I took a long drag.

I exhaled and took another drag of my cigarette.

"Bella. I'm sorry about this… but you disappeared for a month, what was I suppose to do?" he started rubbing my arm.

I rolled my eyes. "Please. Get over yourself. I'm not mad at you." I said. It's the truth, I wasn't mad at him, I was mad at myself.

I took another drag of my cigarette and looked up at him. He was giving me that Chiclet smile.

"What are you smiling at?" I asked in my best annoyed voice. I exhaled and tossed my cigarette into the street, taking a step towards the club.

"You look great, is all" he said and he stepped closer to me.

I held up my hands to his chest, blocking him from getting any closer to me "I know." I said and gave him my best annoyed face but I was so drunk, I probably looked constipated.

"You got some attitude" he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me.

I pulled back, smiling. "What's your girlfriend going to say about this, Mr. Black" as I kissed him back, tracing my tongue along his bottom lip.

"What girlfriend?" was all he said as he pushed me against the wall as he expertly slipped his tongue in my mouth.

"Get a room people" the bouncer yelled at us and I pulled away from Jake laughing as I walked away from him. Trailing my finger across the bouncer's chest "Sorry baby!" I said to him and walked inside.

I walked back over to the table where I saw Lauren sitting by herself, texting away on her phone. I ignored her and grabbed a glass, filling it with ice and vodka and a splash of cranberry juice. I was leaving our booth when Jake walked up, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes and walked past him to go find Angela on the dance floor.

I felt a hand grab me and it was Mike, he pulled me over to where they were all dancing and I was grinding my body against the rest of them until the club closed.

It was 4 am and all of us piled into a taxi-van, unfortunately our little group included Jake and Lauren. She was throwing herself all over him and I literally laughed out loud every time Jake would remove her hand from his crotch. She turned around "What the hell is your problem bitch?" she snapped at me. Everyone turned to look at us.

"Oh, honey. I think I should be the one asking you that question. You're the one who's screaming at me." I gave her my best smile

"Don't honey me. You're just pissed I stole your man" she gave me a nasty look.

I was leaning forward in my seat and Mike was holding me back. "Bitch? Really! Get a clue! Jake doesn't want you! He made it pretty obvious every time he pushed you off of him! But I guess you're too stupid to see that because you keep on trying, like some sort of desperate hag."

Angela was whooping in the front seat. Lauren's face was bright red. "Are you guys really going to let her talk to me like that?"

No one said anything.

"You _started _it Lauren. What, now your too much of a coward you need everyone else to fight your battles for you? Typical." I laughed and sat back in my seat.

"You're such a whore. I'm not surprised you threw yourself on Edward and I'm not the least bit surprised he rejected you, skank" and she turned around in her seat.

I tried to yank her ugly blond hair but Mike grabbed my arm before I could reach her. "Lauren, maybe you should shut your fat fucking mouth before you start talking about something you know nothing about!" Mike was practically sitting on me and I was squirming like a snake trying to get at that bitch.

I heard Ben telling the cab driver to pull over "Come on Lauren, that's not cool. Let's get you and Jake another taxi and get home…" he said

"Forget it. Let the bitch stay. Let me out." I said as I crawled over Mike and Jessica hopping out of the taxi.

I was walking half way down the street, lighting up a cigarette when I heard Angela

"Bella! Wait! I can't run in heels!" she was yelling.

I stopped and turned around. She was bent over, resting her hands on her knees breathing heavily.

I stood there smoking my cigarette, anger was pulsating through my body.

She finally walked over to me "Shit. You really told her" she said laughing as she plucked the cigarette from my hand taking a drag.

I rolled my eyes "She's such a stupid bitch! What the hell does she know! I should have told her Jake kissed me outside" I said as she handed me the cigarette back.

"What! He kissed you?" she said smiling "I told you he wouldn't be able to resist the dress."

I laughed and took another drag of the cigarette passing it back to her.

I needed to calm down and eat something. I was starving.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Hell yeah!" she said.

We walked to a diner and ordered breakfast. We ate and talked, completely ignoring the blow out that happened in the van.

"You know something else about LA, I was at a diner and asked for a taylor ham, egg and cheese on a bagel, and they looked at me like I was speaking Swahili!" People don't eat _anything_ there.

We paid for our food and walked outside, the sun was starting to come up.

We got a cab and took the elevator up to our apartment. Jake was sitting in front of our door, leaning against it, fast asleep. Angela poked my side and laughed.

"I guess Lauren got the message loud and clear" she said.

"Yeah right, the girl's too stupid, she's probably planning their next date as we speak!" I laughed.

I walked over to Jake and kneeled down, shaking his shoulder.

His eyes popped open. "What took you so freaking long?" He yawned and pulled me into a big hug.

"Come on, let's go inside" I said, helping him up as Angela opened the door.

We walked back to my room holding hands. I stripped off my dress, ripping off the pasties and threw on a huge Giants t-shirt. He looked at me and smiled. "I like it" he said as he pulled his clothes off, climbing into my bed in his boxers.

I snuggled up next to him and we fell into a peaceful sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER****

*****PLEASE REVIEW!*****

* * *

**Chapter 15**

_Bella…. Bella… Wake up…. Helloooo… Wake up…._

Grr… what the hell is going on. I opened one eye and immediately closed it. It was way too bright in here. Fuck, my head is killing me.

"Oh, no you don't… I know you're awake" he said. Something _big_ was pressing against my ass, so he was defiantly awake. I felt a hand run up my side and started to caress my boobs.

Mmm… I would defiantly enjoy this if I wasn't dying of dehydration. "Edward, leave me alone." I said groggily, as I rolled onto my stomach.

"_Edward_?" There was a pause "what the fuck…." he sounded pissed. What the hell is he mad about now? His mood swings are giving me whiplash.

...Wait, that didn't sound like Edward…

My eyes shot open. And I looked at the body next to me. Holy fuck, it was _Jake _not _Edward._

I had no idea what to say. "Umm. Sorry."

That's it, I'm busted.

"What the fuck was _that_, Bella?" He started to get off the bed and I wrapped my arms and legs around him, so he couldn't get up without me.

"Stop! I'm sorry! I can explain!" I said, panic rising in my voice. How the hell am I going to explain this?

He peeled me off of him "Please do? I'd love to hear why you just called me your boss's name while we're in bed." He sounded very angry.

This wasn't good. I rubbed my eyes, God my head was pounding. "It's really a funny story…." I was stalling for time.

He got out of bed and started to pull on his pants. "Yeah. It's fucking _hilarious_."

"Jake! Just stop! I'm sorry!" I paused trying to think of some excuse. "Uh, Edward would wake me up in the morning because um…." What the fuck do I say… Should I just come clean and tell him the truth? _Hell no._

"Um… I had to drive him on set every morning?" It came out as a question and I realized I needed to sound more confident. "He would come and wake me up so I could drive him to work!" I shot out of bed and was standing up next to him.

Holy fuck, I wonder what I look like. I hope my fake eyelashes aren't falling off. Oh my God, my hair is probably a disaster. Whatever, I'll think about this later.

"Bull shit. Why would you drive him to work?" He still sounded furious but his face softened a little.

Why would I drive him to work? Hmm. That's a _great_ question.

"Um, because we only had one car!" I stammered. "Yeah! And I had to run his errands so I needed the car. So I would drive him to the set in the morning and pick him up when he was done!" I said. My heart was pounding in my chest. That sounds like it could be possible, right? Steam didn't seem to be coming out of his ears anymore, so I started rubbing his arms.

"Look. I'm sorry. It was an accident." I said and gave him a hug, I pressed my body flush against his, I needed to distract him so he didn't see the holes in my excuse

It took him a moment but he finally wrapped his arms around me and I felt my body relax. Thank you Jesus, crisis averted.

He pulled away from me and held me by my shoulders. I was looking up at him.

He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm a little sensitive about the whole Edward thing…" he said and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

I took a deep breath. "I guess we have some things that we need to discuss then?" Maybe I wasn't off the hook completely, but at least he wasn't running out of my apartment.

"Yeah but we can do that later" He gave me a sexy grin and scooped me up, throwing me onto the bed.

I broke out into a huge smile as he walked over to me and pulled off my Giant's shirt. He gently pushed my shoulders back so I was laying flat on the bed. He peeled my underwear off and he started kissing me beneath my collarbone and worked his way down to my left boob. He started sucking and nipping at my hard nipple.

I ran my hand through his hair and he moved to my other boob, squeezing it while he flicked his tongue over my nipple. I was squirming, it felt so good. I pushed his head down towards my aching pussy, I was so wet. He looked up and smiled at me, grabbing my knees and pulling them apart. He ran a trail of kisses on the inside of my thigh. The anticipation was killing me.

I felt him slip two fingers inside of me and I let out a small moan. He was moving his fingers in a 'come hither' motion and it sent a shiver through my body. He was pumping his fingers in and out of me as he took his thumb and started rubbing my clit. Mmm. He removed his fingers and replaced them quickly with his mouth. He was running his tongue lightly over my clit, sucking on my wet pussy. God, that was good.

"Harder" I whispered as I tried to grab his short hair in my hand. He was ramming his tongue in and out of me and I let out a loud moan.

I felt him leave my body. "Why'd you stop!" I asked in a breathy panic and looked up at him, he was pulling down his pants. Oh, that was acceptable. Fuck, he was hard and huge. I forgot how big he was. His erection sprung out of his pants and I was vibrating with excitement. He grabbed me by the knees and flipped me over onto my stomach.

Well, this was unexpected.

He pulled me forward so my hips were hanging off the edge of the bed and he held me by my ankles, "Bend your knees" he said as he gently slid into me_._ I cried out as he started working me, pushing into me as he held up my legs. Fuck, he was huge. I couldn't move my body and I was so turned on by the idea. He was pumping into me fast. His thick, hard cock felt like it was splitting me in two. I was breathing heavy and his grip on my ankles tightened. Our skin was clapping together.

"Fuck, baby, you're ass is jiggling right in my face" he bit down on my ass cheek hard and I screamed out. Oh my God, that was so sexy. Then, he stopped when he was completely inside of me and he started rolling his hips, fuck, he was so deep. The tip of his cock was rubbing against my center and it was sending waves of pleasure through my body. I was moaning loud. He started pumping into me again and I couldn't move, I felt my pussy start to clench and I was close.

"Harder baby, I'm so close" I was out of breath and I wasn't even doing anything. He started slamming into me, sliding into me completely and then pulling out of me, he did this a couple of times and my body was aching for him. He started rubbing the tip of his cock against my clit and I started moaning. "Jake, I want you inside of me" I said in a breathy whisper.

He made this growling noise that turned me on even more. He entered me with a swift thrust and smacked my ass at the same time, hard. Holy fuck, I felt it directly in my aching pussy. I was moaning his name and grabbed onto my comforter.

He pulled back and started pumping into me, hard and deep and fast. That was it, my whole body was tingling. "F-f-f-f-uck" I stuttered. "oh baby, I'm cuming, oh God" I screamed out as I had the best orgasm of my life. I was breathing heavy and he kept slamming into me.

"Fuck, Bella" He started jerking around and he let out a loud moan as he came, falling on top of me. He was placing kisses all over my back and I still couldn't move, fuck, that was amazing.

I managed to pick my head up off the bed. "Wow" was all I was able to get out. He laughed and rolled beside me, pulling me next to him. My body was limp and he was kissing me all over my neck.

"YOU GUYS ARE FUCKING DISGUSTING!" I heard Angela yell.

I started hysterically laughing. "Whatever he just did to me was _anything_ but disgusting!" I yelled back and kissed Jake on the lips.

"Whatever, sicko's! I'm going to work! Continue whatever you're doing. Bye!" She yelled and I heard the front door slam shut.

Hmm…. Looks like we have the apartment to ourselves…. Maybe we could have round two. I ran my hand down his chest and kissed him deeply.

I was working my way down and his hand grabbed mine before I could reach the promise land. He pulled his lips from mine. "Come on, I'm starving, let's go get something to eat." He whispered in my ear.

What the hell, I wasn't hungry. "Do we have to?" I said and kissed his neck.

He slapped my ass and gave me a sexy smile "Yeah, I'm going to need to eat something and get my strength back up if you want to do that again later" he wiggled his eyebrows.

I shot out of bed "ok! I'm going!" I walked over to my mirror, ass naked but I didn't care. I looked at my reflection and screamed. My hair was still somewhat teased and looked like a birds nest. My eye makeup was smeared all around my eyes but miraculously my eyelashes were still on, thank you Jesus! This was so embarrassing. I can't believe I look this horrible.

"OH MY GOD! Why didn't you tell me I looked like this?" I was turning around in circles, unsure of what I should do.

He laughed as he pulled on his briefs. "I think you look beautiful."

"Liar!"

I dug through my drawer and put on a pair of black lace panties and put on a black strapless bra. I threw on a pair of black leggings "Think it's warm outside?" I asked.

He peeked out my window. "Yeah, it looks nice" he said. He got off my bed and started pulling on his jeans.

I put on a long, baggy, white and black asymmetrical striped, long sleeved shirt that had the shoulders cut out. I quickly cleaned up my eye makeup and tried to tame my hair and decided it would be better to just wear a hat, so I did a side braid and put on a light grey fedora that had a black band.

I grabbed Jake by the hand and pulled him to the bathroom, rummaging for a spare toothbrush. I found a pink one still in the packaging and handed it to him.

"Sorry about the color" I said smiling.

He laughed and took it from me and we both brushed our teeth. I walked back into my room and dumped the contents of my clutch into my Chloe bag and slid on a pair of black ballet flats.

"All ready!" I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and I realized I never took it out with me last night. I turned on my phone and had 17 missed calls, all of them were from Edward. Fuck, my stomach dropped… I was too busy on 'Jake's dick' that I did forget about him… I cringed at the fact he was right. I turned my phone to silent and locked it, sticking it into my bag

When I looked up, Jake was leaning against my door frame watching me intently. "Everything ok? You look like someone just told you your cat died."

Whoops. "Good thing I'm more of a dog person..." I smiled and intertwined my fingers with his as we walked to the elevator.

We got outside and it was a beautiful day, I reached in my bag and put on my sunglasses. "It's so nice out! We should do something fun outside today!" I said to him.

He laughed "Yeah, maybe."

Hmm… he didn't sound that into it. Maybe he would rather stay in my bedroom today…. and that was perfectly fine with me. We walked down the street to Balthazar and sat down at a table outside.

Our waiter appeared and Jake ordered eggs benedict, brioche french toast and steel cut oatmeal. My eyes were wide, "You really can eat all that?" I asked him and ordered sour cream hazelnut waffles. Carbs were good for keeping your energy up right?

Once the waiter left to put in our order, he grabbed my hand "so, I think we should probably talk about some things…" he said and took a sip of his orange juice.

I blew out a puff of air, I wasn't really feeling this whole conversation "Um, ok." I said a little hesitantly. I was instantly thankful I had my sunglasses on, that way he wouldn't be able to read my face.

"So, you were supposed to be gone for a week and it turned into a month…" he said.

I nodded my head, not sure about what he was asking me.

"Um… I guess what I'm getting at is… is there something going on between you and Edward?" he sounded annoyed, "besides work" he added.

My heart was racing a mile a minute. Holy shit, Angela suspected something was up, so does that mean Jake does too? I was so conflicted, should I just come clean? Will he hate me and never speak to me again? Honesty is the best policy….Wait, I can't! I signed a nondisclosure agreement! Thank God for that stupid piece of paper. It was cowardly of me but whatever.

"No. Nothing is going on between us." I heard myself say. "Things just kept coming up and before I knew it, I'd been there a month… Anyway, I barely saw him when I was there. I was going out of my mind I was so lonely" I laughed.

I guess I'd be keeping this secret forever.

"Alright" he nodded.

_Alright_, that was it? As relieved as I am, I found it a little weird that after I called him the wrong name in bed this morning, all he had to say to that was alright. Whatever. I took a sip of my coffee. "So what is the status of you and _Lauren?"_ just saying her name pissed me off.

He looked away from me and shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing" he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever." I pointed my finger to my head. "Do I have stupid written on my forehead?"

Does he think I'm blind? I saw them all over each other at the club last night and that sure didn't look like _nothing_.

"We went out on a few dates, it's not a big deal" he took a sip of his orange juice.

His whole attitude about Lauren was making me furious. Something was defiantly up with them, so why the hell wouldn't he tell me. "Not a big deal? Yeah right. Did you sleep with her?" I couldn't believe I asked him this but I needed to know.

He laughed. "You serious right now?"

I nodded. "I won't use it against you, I'm just curious."

He let out a puff of air. "All right, yeah, we hooked up a couple of times."

I fucking knew it. I can't believe she was my Eskimo sister. I hope he wore a condom. I made a mental note to get tested the next time I was at the gyno. "Ew." I took a sip of my coffee and he looked annoyed. "Sorry" I added holding up my hands "it slipped."

I wasn't sorry. I wanted to kick him in the balls. I can't believe he slept with that turtle faced bitch. I wonder if he fucked her in the same position he fucked me in this morning… I felt rage bubbling up inside me and I tried to think of happier thoughts… Like how he slept against my front door last night.

I took a sip of my coffee. "Wait a second… did you just blow her off last night?" I asked.

He coughed. "Not exactly…. I dropped her off at her apartment and then went to yours…" he looked kind of ashamed.

I grimaced. I wished he would have just left her in the dust. "So, what's the deal with that?" I asked taking another sip of my coffee.

"With what?" he looked confused.

Do I have to spell everything out for this kid? "What's going on with you and Lauren, right now?"

He slapped his palm against the table a couple of times. "I said there was nothing going between us, _alright_?" He sounded annoyed.

Is he kidding me? "Not for nothing, you say nothing's going on between you two but in the next breath you said you slept with her, so obviously there was _something_ going on and I just want to know if you're still planning on hooking up with her. It's not unreasonable." I took a sip of my coffee, majorly pissed off.

His jaw tensed. "Who gives a fuck if we had sex before? Tell me, whose bed did I sleep in last night? Yours, so get the fuck over it already." He was practically yelling at me.

Whoa, where did that rage come from? Was he on steroids or something? …No his dick was way too big.

How embarrassing was this, we were outside and people were looking at us. I felt like I shrunk two sizes. Ok, maybe I was overstepping my boundaries a bit but I just hate the fact that they were together. It makes my skin crawl.

I waved my white napkin. "Ok, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure this out and I guess it doesn't help that I can't stand that girl" I said apologetically.

After a long awkward silence, he seemed to soften a bit. "Yeah, what the hell was up with that cab ride?"

I wanted to ask him the same thing because there were some pieces missing. I guess I'll have to ask Angela later. What I do remember, is wanting to punch her in the face but I can't remember what exactly caused me to feel that way.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. She's just been nasty to me and sometimes a bitch just snaps" I held up my hands and pretended to break something between them.

"I thought you were going to attack her. Mike and Jessica were literally sitting on you to hold you back…" he laughed "it was hot, I love having two girls fight over me" he started rubbing this thumb over my knuckles.

I wiggled my eyebrows "I don't know what you do to me but every time I'm with you I seem to end up in an argument with someone."

He let out a good laugh "I do have that effect on women!" he said and I shook my head.

Our food arrived at that moment and we dug in. Shit, these were fucking delicious. I was debating if I should ask Jake where we stand but I wasn't sure if I should after the little tiff we had. I had to know. He did call me his girlfriend before I left but then he tossed me to the side like yesterday's trash. I needed to know what we were doing. I finally built up the courage to ask, when a young boy who looked about twelve walked up to our table. What horrible timing, shouldn't he be in school or something? I wanted to tell him to scram.

"Um… Jacob Black? Can I get your autograph?" he held out an envelope and a pen.

Jake gave him a huge smile "Yeah sure thing buddy, what's your name?" He looked so freaking cute.

"Um.. Michael" he said beaming from ear to ear.

Jake scribbled on the envelope and gave the kid a high five.

The little boy walked away and Jake laughed. After I took a couple bites of my waffles, I asked the question I was dying to know.

"So, what is the deal with you and me" I said pointing my fork between the two of us.

He finished chewing his food… "I say we take it one step at a time" he said.

What the hell does that mean?

"Alright." I said and took another bite of my food. I was kind of confused about that, one step at a time? Could he be any more vague about it? Weren't we a little past taking it slow, what happened to him calling me his girlfriend? I suddenly felt very insecure but I pushed the thought from my mind. Beggars can't be choosers and after that mind blowing sex this morning, I'll take whatever I can get.

As we finished up our meal, he caught me up on everything that he's been up to in the past month and I gave him the edited version of my time in Los Angeles. He paid for our food and as we left the restaurant I linked my arm with his and we walked down the street.

We got to my building and I went to walk inside and he stopped short, pulling me back. "Are you not coming inside?" I pointed to the building a little confused.

"I can't… I have a workout session with my trainer in an hour" he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest.

What the hell? I thought the whole purpose of going to breakfast was so we could have sex all day! I was super pissed but I already pushed too many of his buttons this morning, so I tried to act cool. We were 'taking it slow' after all.

"Ok, just don't hurt yourself this time" I smiled up at him.

He smacked my ass and bent down to give me a steamy kiss. The whole time we kissed I could only think about how he said my ass was jiggling. I'm getting fat! Oh no, I ate those delicious, carb filled waffles. Fuck, I thought I'd be having hot sex all day but it looks like that's out of the equation, so maybe I'll go on a run instead.

We broke apart, our faces still close together "See you later" I said and gave him a final peck on the lips and backed away.

"Hopefully sooner, rather than later" he said to me as he turned around and walked down the street.

I couldn't help but smile because that was what I said to him the first time we met. Maybe I was over analyzing our conversation, everything seemed good between us.

I walked into my apartment and it was silent. I wished Angela didn't have a job, so we could have a girl's day. I suddenly felt horrible for her. She must be dying at work today, I doubt she got much sleep.

I dropped my bag onto the floor and flopped down onto my bed, looking at the clock. It was only ten. It was so early, what was I going to do all day? Maybe I should go work out? After Jake's comment I was super self conscious about my body. Plus, his body was like completely made of muscle. I pulled up my shirt and studied my stomach. The only word I could come up with was soft... Maybe I don't think I even have muscles? Is that possible? I defiantly need to start working out.

I walked over to my closet to grab some yoga pants and I realized all my clothes were dirty. Fuck, I guess it was going to be a laundry day.

I got my Ipad and put it in my purse, cringing because it reminded me of Edward. I guess I would have to talk to him eventually. I grabbed all my stuff and headed to the Laundromat. The normally short, two block trip felt more like ten miles. I was in LA for so long that I forgot what it felt like to actually walk to places. I guess carrying twenty pounds of dirty clothes didn't help either.

After some time, all my laundry was in various washing machines and I went outside to go and have a cigarette.

I lit one up and leaned against the brick wall. I thought about my fight with Lauren, what the hell happened? Plus, Jake said Mike had to hold me down. I felt super guilty about that and I should probably apologize to him. I hope I didn't hit him… I grabbed my phone from my bag and saw I had five missed calls from Edward. I wasn't ready to deal with that storm yet. I dialed Mike's number and took a long drag.

"Well if it isn't Floyd Mayweather. What's up girl?"

I was instantly relieved, he was joking about it so it couldn't have been that bad.

"Ha-ha. Hi Mike, that's actually why I'm calling… I wanted to apologize about last night." I said a little timidly. Please don't rip me a new one.

"Bells, don't worry about it. Lauren was being her usual bitchy self, so I can't say I blame you" he said.

Oh, thank God. I guess I didn't start it then. "Oh good, because the details are a little fuzzy and I wasn't totally sure how it all went down" I said taking a drag.

I heard him let out a big laugh "You never remember the details, so what are you up to?"

I exhaled "Just doing my laundry, you know, having a blast. What are you doing?" I took a final drag of my cigarette and tossed it into the street.

"Sounds like fun. I'm, uh, actually on my way to my parent's house. We started filming Jersey Wives two weeks ago and we're shooting a scene today where we are planning a trip to Barbados's… which is total bull shit because the producers planned the entire thing already."

I felt horrible, I had no idea Mike was shooting Jersey Wives. I'm such a bad friend. "Barbados's huh? That sounds amazing! Well have a good time, but um, want to get lunch sometime this week and catch up? I feel like I'm so out of touch with everyone…"

He laughed "Well that's what happens when you become a hot shot celebrity PA! Lunch sounds good though, are you free Wednesday?"

Please, my schedule is completely bare for the next month and a half "Yeah, Edward's in LA so I really don't have anything to do…" I hope I didn't sound as pathetic as I felt.

"Damn, you're lucky woman! How about I'll come to your apartment at 2 and we'll go from there? Sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect. I'll talk to you later." We hung up the phone and I felt uneasy. I missed out on so much while I was in LA.

I sat down at a table and pulled out my Ipad. I got online and was thankful Edward got me the one with a wireless hotspot. Edward… what was I going to do about him? We never discussed the whole 'whore' comment and I was really dreading the conversation. Maybe we didn't need to have it? I went on Gawker and started reading about all the latest gossip.

After a half an hour I put my clothes into the driers and sat back down. I had an email. My stomach dropped, thinking it was Edward. Was he really going to apologize over email? I opened the icon and found it was a Google alert. Oh no.

Ever since the press found out my name I made a Google alert for myself. It felt very narcissistic of me but I wanted to know what was out there. Luckily, I've only gotten few and they were all innocent, like that I was spotted in LA and when I was on my way back to NYC.

I opened the email and saw a link to the post. I opened the webpage and saw the caption first "_Trouble in the Meadowlands?" _accompanied by a picture of Jake and me at breakfast this morning. Damn, these people move fast. I studied the picture for awhile.

_What the hell. _Jake looked furious and I was touching my cheek in a way that looked like I was wiping away a tear. This is so bizarre, I knew I didn't cry at lunch but no one else knew that… Plus the sunglasses were hiding my eyes so it made it impossible to tell for sure. But it really looked like I was crying. How did they do that?

Well, this couldn't be good. I took a deep breath and started reading.

* * *

_Did the love expire between Giants quarterback, Jake Black and girlfriend, Isabella Swan? It appears so! The couple was spotted getting breakfast together at Balthazar Monday morning and the pair got into a heated argument over Swan's recent trip to Los Angeles with Edward Cullen. Allegedly, Swan is completely obsessed with her movie star boss and is desperate to get gain his affection. Sources who overhead the spat say Black is sick of vying for her attention and ended things with the beautiful brunette. Though, it doesn't seem NYC's newest it-girl will be rebounding with her employer, Cullen seems to be immune to her charms because he is still with his long time love, Tanya Denali._

* * *

Well fuck me. Do these people ever get anything right? Jake didn't necessarily _dump_ me this morning… he just wants to take things slow. Plus, Edward isn't immune to my charms, he could barely keep his hands off me when we were in LA…. though he did call me a whore. Shit, maybe Page Six isn't so off the mark. How do they know this stuff?

I wonder if Jake really did dump me this morning. Is 'taking it slow' code for 'I think you're a crazy bitch and I don't want to see you anymore'? He did refuse to come up to my apartment. Hmm.. I'll have to ask Angela what she thinks. Also, maybe I shouldn't be the one to call him first, just to make sure. I don't want to see pathetic.

I reread the article a couple of times and started playing Temple Run until my laundry was done. It took forever, but I folded everything up and walked back to my apartment. I unpacked my stuff and I was exhausted. I fell back onto my bed and looked at the clock, it was only one. Maybe I should take nap. I curled up under my sheets that were still all tangled from my sex romp with Jake. My pillow still smelled like his Hugo Boss cologne. I snuggled up to my pillow and drifted to sleep.

I woke up feeling refreshed. I looked over at the clock and it was only three. Well, that nap didn't last nearly long enough. After trying to fall back asleep with no success, I decided I needed to get my fat ass up and go for a run. I pulled on some yoga pants and a white t-shirt. I grabbed my apartment key and tucked it into my sports bra, grabbing my Iphone, headphones and Metrocard as I walked out the door.

I took the subway to Central Park. After a little warm up, I reluctantly started to run. God, I was so out of shape, I was huffing and puffing before one song was finished. After an hour and a half, I decided to call it quits. I ended up walking the entire time but at least walking was better than nothing. Maybe I should look for a work out DVD instead, that seems more my speed. I walked to the subway and made my way back to my apartment.

By the time I walked into my room, I was so exhausted. I flopped down on my bed and let out a huge sigh. I went to grab my remote from my nightstand to turn on the TV and then I saw it. Sitting on my desk, there was an arrangement of hot pink orchids along with a large black box that had white ribbon tied up into a pretty bow.

What the hell was that? This wasn't here when I left.

I walked over to the box and picked up a card that was tucked under the ribbon. The box was Chanel. I was so excited and I instantly regretted that feeling. That _asshole._ I opened the card.

* * *

Bella, I am so sorry for my appalling behavior and I feel terrible about saying those vile things to you. I want you to know that I do not think of you in that way, at all. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met and I never want to hurt you like that again. I can't convey in words how horrible I feel for treating you so badly, I hope that you will be able to forgive me. I miss you more than words can express.

Edward

* * *

I put the card back in the envelope. Huh…? I was kind of nervous to open the box. Why does he think he can be a dick to me and just buy me stuff to make it all better? I guess because it works…

I sat back on my bed, staring at the box debating if I should open it or not. He got me something from Chanel… it had to be something amazing. I sighed and fell back onto my bed.

I heard movement from Angela's room and in no time I heard her voice.

"Did you open it yet!" she asked excitedly.

I sat up and looked at the unopened box. Angela walked over and sat next to me on the bed. "Why are you wearing sneakers? Did you workout or something?" she looked at me eyes wide. I think as long as I've known Angela I've never worked out. Please, who was I kidding, I never worked out in my entire life.

"Yeah, I attempted to. Jake called me fat" That was a little bit of an exaggeration but he did imply it.

She looked horrified "Shut the fuck up? Did he really? What a fucking asshole. You're not fat at all, do not listen to him!" she was shaking her finger in my face.

I just rolled my eyes. "Well, he didn't necessarily call me fat but he did say my ass was jiggling." I giggled a bit.

She slapped me "Ew, please don't remind me. I was finally able to get the sounds you two were making out of my head… He sounded like a freaking animal… I thought for a minute he was into bestiality."

I just laughed.

"So, are you going to open it" she pointed her head at the box.

"Nope." I said.

"Well, aren't you curious to see what's inside?" she asked. "It's _Chanel"_ she made it sound like it was a sin to not open the box. Which I guess it kind of was.

Yes, I was dying to know what was inside that box but I knew once I opened it, all would be forgiven and I wasn't ready to roll over that easily. I still wanted to be pissed at Edward and yell at him on the phone, letting him know exactly how that phone call made me feel.

"Yeah but I don't know if I'm ready to forgive him that easily" I said and looked at her.

She was bouncing up and down on the bed "Well, call him now and rip him a new one...then open the box. That way it won't be like he's buying your forgiveness" she was beaming from ear to ear.

I pulled her into a huge hug "You are a fucking genius!" I said and felt around my bed for my phone.

"I'll give you a minute" she got up and started to walk out of my room but stopped short and pointed her finger at me "but don't you dare open that box without me" she turned away on her heel and walked out.

I took a deep breath and pressed send.

"Bella?" He sounded nervous.

"Hello" I sad coolly.

"Did you get my package?" I could tell from his voice he had that lopsided smile on his face. Did he think he wouldn't even have to apologize? He's such a dick.

"Yes. That's why I'm calling you…." I said.

"Did you like it?" he asked and he sounded like he already knew the answer.

It was so annoying.

"I didn't open it yet. I wanted to talk to you first about something…" well here goes nothing.

"Ok…" his cocky demeanor from before disappeared.

"Look, you can't just be a complete _asshole _to me and then give me some half ass apology with a gift and think everything is going to be hunky-dory. It was nice at first time but it's starting to become a pattern." I took a pause to collect my thoughts.

"Bella- I'm"

"I'm not done yet" I cut him off "listen, I know our situation is not normal, per say, but you agreed to it and if you can't deal with it then maybe we should call things off. This isn't how a relationship should be. You should treat me with respect and not as some little _whore_ that you can say whatever you want to. Then, treat me even more like a _whore_ by thinking you can just buy something pretty to make it up to me. It's not fair."

I was on the verge of tears but I took a deep breath. I really didn't want things to end with Edward but I didn't want to be in a relationship where someone makes me feel worthless, my mama taught me better than that.

I heard him take a deep breath. "Fuck" he said "look, I'm really sorry. I freaked out. I didn't hear from you and I went crazy. I'm really sorry and I want you to know I don't think you're a whore. Our relationship isn't necessarily the way I want to be with you, I would like to have you all to myself but if it's the only way we can be together, then I'll suck it up."

I started crying, I'm not even sure why because I was happy he wanted to be with me.

I tried to compose myself "Okay" was all I managed to get out.

"Shh, Bella, don't cry. I'm so sorry and I promise you it won't happen again. Just please, don't cry."

I wiped my nose and took a deep breath "Ok. I forgive you!" I was half laughing half crying.

He let out a puff of air "I promise I'll never do anything to hurt you again" he said.

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, I won't hold my breath "I'll kick your ass if you do." I said trying to make light of the situation. "hey, how did this package get here so fast?" I asked

"Emmett" he said laughing.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh my God! I didn't get to tell you, Rosalie brought Emmett home to meet the family on her birthday! I can count on one hand how many times Ro has brought a boyfriend home… It must be getting serious!" I said.

He laughed. "Yeah, Em told me. He said you're dad seems like a real cool guy."

I snorted. "Yeah that's only because Emmett's not dating his daughter. Just wait, if you ever meet Charlie I'm sure you'll have a much different opinion about him and you probably won't want to see me anymore."

I felt nervous and excited about the idea of introducing Edward to my parents… My mom without a doubt would love him. My dad on the other hand… well he doesn't like anyone.

He laughed "Well, maybe for my safety I should introduce myself as simply your boss until he gets to know me…"

"That probably would be in your best interest." I smiled.

"Hey, I hate to do this but I have to go... I was in the middle of shooting a scene and I kind of just ran off… but I'll FaceTime you later tonight? Ok?"

He walked off set to talk to me? I felt 1000 times better. "Ok, bye baby, I'll see you later" I hung up the phone and wiped away the dampness on my cheeks.

"ANGELA! I'M OPENING IT!" I yelled and she was in my room before I even finished my sentence.

"You ok?" she asked and rubbed my back.

"Yeah, I think so..." I said and gave her my best smile.

I walked over to my desk and picked up the box, bringing it back over to my bed and situating it between us.

"You can do the honors" I said to her and she quickly pulled the ribbon off and opened the lid. She unfolded the tissue paper and pulled it out of the dust bag. We both gasped.

It was beautiful and it felt like butter. It was black, quilted leather and had a front flap that had a little Chanel logo where it snapped shut. The straps consisted of gold chains that had black leather intertwined in them. It was everything.

"Holy fuck. He got you a Chanel Classic Flap bag" she said whispering.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S PERFECT!" I said bouncing up and down on my bed. My anger towards Edward was nowhere to be found and I was instantly happy we talked before I opened the bag.

After we freaked out for awhile, Angela asked "So, what'd you do today?"

I let out a sigh, "Laundry. Oh and get this, I had breakfast with Jake and he said he wants to 'take things slow.'" I made quotation marks with my hands "What does that even mean?"

Her face fell "Um, it doesn't sound good. Does that mean you're not his girlfriend anymore?"

I was hoping she wouldn't say that. "I don't know! And get this, I asked him about what the deal is with him and Lauren and he said nothing but then he told me that they did have sex… So like… what the fuck! I don't know what to believe."

Maybe I should just forget this whole thing with Jake and focus on Edward. Edward obviously cares about me, he just bought me Chanel, and Jake wants to take things slow so he obviously doesn't.

Angela was shaking her head back and forth "I don't know… maybe you should have kicked her ass last night" she said and laughed

"Oh my God! I wanted to ask you about that, I don't remember what happened! Did I start it? I talked to Mike today and he didn't seem pissed at me so I'm hoping that means I didn't…"

Angela laughed. "I really have no idea, I couldn't hear much. I was in the front with Ben and all of a sudden I heard her yelling and then you were yelling and she mentioned Edward's name and you lost your fucking mind. It was hilarious, she looked terrified too! She was hiding behind Jake."

She hid behind Jake? Why didn't Jake mention that? Was it because he was looking out for her? And then he took her home… What the fuck! I'm sure they talked about me, I wonder what he said. He probably told Lauren that nothing was going on with me! What if they had sex? I don't know what time he got to my apartment and he didn't even try to have sex with me last night... And he says girls fighting over him turns him on… it turned him on in AC… FUCK.

He had sex with Lauren fucking Newton and then came and slept in my bed. I wanted to die.

"Jake slept with her last night, I'm sure of it" I said.

Angela looked so confused "Um, what? Where did that come from?"

I relayed my thought process to her and she looked skeptical.

"Yeah right, he was fast asleep against our door when we got home. I doubt he had time to have sex with Lauren and then come here and fall asleep. I don't think we were gone that long…" I could tell she was thinking about the timeline... he defiantly had enough time.

"I know he did, what time did we get home? I remember the sun was coming up. So he had _plenty_ of time, plus when I got into a fight with some girl in AC he barely made it up to the room with his pants on and he didn't even try to touch me last night!" I was shrieking by the time I finished my rant.

Angela still seemed dubious "Bells, I don't know, it sounds a little farfetched. Maybe you should just wait to see how things play out with him."

I hugged my Chanel bag to my chest. "Yeah… I guess…"

I wouldn't admit it out loud but I knew something was definitely up and I was going to get to the bottom of it even. I knew exactly how I would find out too….Jessica. I'll have to ask Mike for her number when we go out to lunch. I'll just tell him I want to get to know her… I smiled at my little plan.

After awhile an exhausted Angela excused herself to work on her lesson plans and I decided to take a shower.

I came back into my room and looked at the clock, it was only seven. I needed to find something to do. I threw on a pair of yoga pants and a pink camisole. I twisted my hair up into two little pigtail buns on the top of my head and sat down at my desk. I opened up my computer and went to Amazon to look up work out DVD's. After awhile I ordered a Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis DVD and just because it looked fun, a Pussycat Doll's strip tease workout DVD.

I closed my laptop and I grabbed my Ipad along with my phone and walked out into the living room. I searched through Netflix and found my favorite movie that Edward was in. It was based off a Nicholas Sparks book and was one of those love stories that always made you bawl your eyes out. I put on the movie and grabbed a fuzzy pink blanket from my room and got a bottle of Cabernet and a glass from the kitchen. I curled up on the couch and started watching.

Halfway through the movie, my Ipad started ringing. It was Edward! I answered it and was greeted by his sexy smile. His hair was all tousled and his green eyes were sparkling. I haven't seen him in so long, I forgot just how fucking sexy he was. The movie didn't do him any justice.

"Hi!" I beamed! Oh shit, I saw my little picture in the corner and started freaking out "Wait! You can't see me like this! I don't even have any makeup on!" I tossed my Ipad on the couch. Fuck! I looked like such a dork. I was wearing pigtails for Christ's sake!

I heard him laugh "Bella, I think you look absolutely adorable, now let me see you again"

I hesitantly picked up the Ipad and smiled when I saw his sexy lopsided grin. "How is everything, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages and it's only been like three days" I said a little self consciously.

"It's alright. I'm actually still on set… I've practically moved into my trailer" he said as he pulled the screen back to show he was sitting on the couch in his tiny trailer. My face grew hot when I thought of the last time I was in there with Edward.

"Yeah…." I didn't really know what to say to that so I grabbed my glass of wine and took a sip

"So, I just saw Page Six." He said and he was beaming ear to ear. What an asshole.

"Oh" a frown tugged at the corners of my mouth.

"So, is it true?" He looked so happy. I wanted to slap him and kiss him at the same time. It was very confusing.

I didn't want to talk about Jake with him. "Hmm… are you talking about the part that says I'm desperate for your affection?" I smiled "because that's totally true." I smiled.

He started laughing and ran a hand through his hair "That's good to know but I'm talking about the you being single part…" He was still smiling.

I honestly didn't know and I suddenly wished he couldn't see me. "Um, I'm not really sure" I said a little sheepishly. "We did get into a fight today and he said he wants to 'take things one step at a time'" I said making quotation marks with my fingers. I can't believe I was telling him this. "So, I have no idea what the fuck that's supposed to mean" I took another gulp of my wine.

Judging from the face splitting smile that was on Edward's face, things weren't looking good for me and Jake. "So…. does that mean you'll come back to LA?"

What? Why would he think I'd want to come back to LA and sit at home by myself "Um, no." I said annoyed and his face fell.

"I'm sorry but you know how I feel about LA, I hate it there. I love New York, plus you're going to be gone all the time anyway and I'd be sitting around by myself. At least here I have my friends and family…" I said trailing off. "Please, can we not fight about this for the 1,000th time?" It was like beating a dead horse.

He let out a puff of air "Alright, I'm sorry. I just want to see you…"

I smiled, relieved that he dropped it. "You're seeing me right now!" and look what I'm watching "I turned the camera to the TV where Edward was confessing his love for his on screen girlfriend. After a few seconds I flipped it back to me.

He was laughing.

"What?" I said. "This is like my all time favorite movie! It gets me every time, he's just like the perfect guy… do you know where I could find someone like that?" I smiled and pointed to the screen.

He rolled his eyes. "That fucking movie, I think it set the bar way too high for all guys…" He was shaking his head "Couldn't you watch one where I'm all manly and blowing shit up? Not one that I cry in..." He looked embarrassed.

I laughed "No way! It's so cute when you cry! You really loved her!" I said almost forgetting that he was acting. I wished he would love me that much….

He ran his hand through his hair and there was a knock on his door, I heard some guy talking and Edward said he'd be right there. I heard the door close.

"Hey baby, I have to go, they need me back on set." He let out a big sigh "Um, I should probably tell you that Tanya is coming out to LA tomorrow…. I wanted you to hear it from me before you read about it online…" he looked kind of ashamed.

She was going to visit him? I wanted to kill someone. God damn it, Tanya was going to spend time with Edward and Jake was probably out sleeping with Lauren…. And I'd be all alone with a bottle of wine watching movies about love stories. Why am I so pathetic? I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life.

I tried to remain calm. "Ok… um… have fun I guess?"

He just laughed. "Please, I'll just be counting down the days until she leaves. But um, I'll try to call you when I'm on set tomorrow? Ok?"

I gave him the best smile I could muster, which wasn't much. "Ok. I'll talk to you later… I miss you…"

"Bye…." He said and the screen went blank.

What the fuck, he didn't say he missed me. Well, this is just fucking great.

I rewound the movie back to where it was when Edward called. I was instantly thankful I was watching it because I needed a good cry and if Angela saw me, I could just blame it on the movie. I didn't need to have another breakdown in front of her. I felt as if all I was doing lately was crying. I grabbed the bottle of wine, forgoing the glass. I sat there and cried and drank and cried some more.

After that movie ended, I put on another one of Edward's movies. It wasn't as much of a tearjerker as the first movie, but it was close. I walked into the kitchen and looked for more wine but there wasn't any. I found some Limoncello instead, perfect. I curled back up on the couch and drank and cried some more.

The next thing I know, I'm waking up and I was instantly confused. Shit, I must have dozed off. I went to pick up my head and I winced. My neck was sore, my head was pounding and I was freezing. I looked around and I was on the couch, clutching onto my Chanel bag…

What the hell? I looked at the time and it was four am. I shut off the TV and I piled up all my stuff, walking back into my room. I walked out and got a bottle of coconut water and took some Advil. I curled up into my bed and fell back asleep.

But I didn't sleep well, I had the weirdest dreams where I had a house full of cats and grey hair….


	16. Chapter 16

**** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER****

*****PLEASE REVIEW!*****

* * *

**Chapter 16**

I rolled over in bed and looked at the clock, it was 1:30. Fuck, I was so hung over. This is the twenty first century, why hasn't someone invented alcohol that doesn't give you a hangover yet? I crawled out of bed and grabbed my sunglasses from my bag, putting them on. It was way too fucking bright in this room. I really need to get blackout curtains. I looked in my closet and found my green flower box and saw there was one joint left. Thank you baby Jesus! I crawled back over to my bed and opened my window. I lit the joint and inhaled deeply.

I smiled, it really was the magic cure. Speaking of which, I needed to get more pot. I grabbed my phone and I noticed I had a text from Jake, he sent it an hour ago.

Hey, what are you doing later?

I wonder if Jake smokes pot? I took another puff and decided I'd text him later, I had more important matters to deal with. I texted a bartender from Clearwater's, Riley, who has always been my hookup and I was happy that I heard back from him right away. He was working and he told me to stop by the bar before his shift ended to pick it up. I smiled and finished my joint.

After lounging in bed for awhile longer, I was starving and walked into the kitchen to get something to eat. I opened the fridge and all I saw was coconut water, seltzer and some diet coke. I grabbed a water and took a big gulp. That was delicious. This must be how the desert feels when it rains.

I opened the cabinets and they were completely empty, except for a box of saltine crackers and a can of chicken noodle soup. Fuck. It looks like I would have to pick something up while I was out. That just seemed so difficult and I was overwhelmed with possibilities.

I walked back into my room, checking out my reflection in the mirror. I still had on the same outfit from last night, so I grabbed a grey Victoria's Secret Pink sweatshirt and slid on a pair of shimmery black Colin Stuart flip flops. I took out my pigtails and twisted my hair into a tight bun on the top of my head as I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I grabbed my water, bag and phone and walked out of my apartment. Once I hit the street, I lit up a cigarette and leaned against the building because I was exhausted already. I heard my phone ringing in my bag and saw it was Jake. Ugh, I didn't really feel like talking to him right now, I already was doing too many things. I hit ignore and took another drag of my cigarette.

I started my familiar walk to Clearwater's and I kind of missed my old job. I haven't been back there since I started working for Edward. I made a mental note to start hanging out there more. I always had so much fun when I was there. I walked into the bar and noticed it was completely deserted except for a couple of guys in a booth. I walked up to the bar and Riley greeted me with a huge hug.

"How you doing kid?" he said. It always puzzled me that he called me kid, we were the same age.

"Oh you know, just hung over and wanting to die, the usual." I slid into a stool and took off my sunglasses since it was nice and dark in the bar, sliding them on top of my head.

"You need some hair of the dog, kid." he gave me a wicked grin and grabbed a bottle of tequila off the shelf. He poured two shots and grabbed some limes and a salt shaker.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked as I licked my hand, put some salt on it and picked up a shot glass, holding it up.

"You know it. Cheers" he tapped his glass to mine and I licked the salt, took the shot and bit a lime. Yuck. Oh God, that was such a bad idea. I thought for a minute I was going to throw up but thankfully it passed.

"Ugh, that was disgusting" I said smiling. He caught me up with what's been going on at the bar and we took four more shots. My head was starting to feel fuzzy from all the pot and tequila when my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller ID and it was Edward. I smiled.

"It's my boss," and my boyfriend I added silently, I gestured to Riley and ran outside to answer my phone.

"Helllooooo!" I practically sang into the phone as I dug around my purse for a pack of cigarettes.

"Well, someone sounds happy. How are you?" He said. Aha! I pulled the pack out and slid my sunglasses onto my face. I lit a cigarette, taking a long drag.

God, I really missed him. "Slightly drunk. How are you Mr. Cullen?" I exhaled.

"Wait, it's like three o'clock in New York" he sounded skeptical.

I took another long drag. "And you're point?"

He started laughing. "You always seem to surprise me, Miss Swan. Are you ok to run an errand for me though?" he said.

Ugh, I was sad this was a business call, not a personal one. "Okay, what is it?"

There was a pause and I took another drag of my cigarette. "I need you to go to my apartment and get something from my office to give to Emmett. He gave me some bullshit answer on why he couldn't do it, so do you mind dropping it off to him too?" he sounded stressed out. I could picture him standing there pinching the bridge of his nose.

I smiled at the thought. "Yeah, sure, what is it?" I took a final drag of my cigarette and tossed it into the street.

"It's a contract for the last movie I did. I'm not exactly sure where it is in my office but it's in a manila envelope that should be labeled Sons of Men. I just need you to get it and take it over to Emmett, I'll text you his address, ok? It's really important so I kind of need you to do it right now."

"No problem, _boss" _I said and giggled a bit "and Edward, you really need to relax. You're always so uptight." I smiled and hung up the phone before he could say anything else.

I walked back into the bar and told Riley I had to run. We did our exchange and I walked out of the bar, heading to the subway.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at Edward's apartment building and I was greeted by the door man "it's nice to see you again Miss Swan" he said as held open the door. He was so nice, I really missed that guy. I wonder what his name is… I made a mental note to ask him when I left.

I walked into the building and rode the elevator in silence. I walked into Edward's apartment and I felt very uncomfortable. This place was the scene of too many shitty incidents. I headed into the office, swearing to myself that we would make up for them when he got back by having sex on every surface of this apartment.

I was looking around the desk and drawers when I finally came across a manila envelope. It didn't have the movie title written across the front but it was the only one I found, so I pulled out the stack of papers just to be sure. Shit, there was a lot of stuff here.

I started reading the first paper in the pile and was taken aback, it was all about me.

_What the fuck was this_. I flipped through the different papers and they were all something different… a copy of my birth certificate…my social security number…. employment records about my parents… my address in Jersey along with a picture of my house. I noticed the door was red. _Mother fuck,_ this had to be taken recently. I pushed the thought from my mind, unsure of what it meant.

I looked at another paper….WHAT THE HELL… results for my last STD test? I wanted to die. Why would he need to know that? And more importantly, how did he get this information? Wasn't it supposed to be private? What about fucking HIPPA laws? Do they not apply when famous actors are involved?

I looked through some more papers and they had my place of employment which was listed as Clearwater's…. a list of my college curriculum along with my GPA…. My bank account information and credit score.

I flipped to the next piece of paper and saw a list of all the run-ins I had with the law when I was younger. This was impossible. I didn't have a criminal record. My dad made sure I got out of all the charges, so how the fuck did he find out about these?

I flipped to the next piece of paper and it stated my address in New York and had some trivial information about Jasper. Oh my God, he looked into Jasper too?

I felt like I couldn't breathe. I hastily flipped through the rest of the papers and found various pictures of me, my friends, my apartment… Edward was stalking me? I felt sick. I can't believe he would exploit my privacy like this!

I didn't know what to do. I just sat there with the papers scattered all around me, staring at them. I heard my phone ringing in my bag, it was probably Edward but I couldn't talk to him right now. I felt so violated.

I don't know how long I was sitting there for but I heard the elevator ding and I panicked, someone was fucking here. I started piling up the papers and I saw Emmett walk into the office. He stopped in his tracks once he noticed me sitting there. He seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. "Oh, I just tried to call you" he said.

"DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS STUFF?" I was screaming at him holding up a picture of me and Angela at a Rutgers football game.

He started stammering "Oh fuck. Um, Bella, relax.. It's not what it looks like?" he tried to grab the papers from me.

I yanked them away "IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE? I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT FUCKING LOOKS LIKE!" I was screaming. "He's spying on me! How long has this been going on? What kind of sick fucking people are you?" I said as I shoved the papers into my bag, I didn't want Edward to have all this information about me.

He walked towards me and I instinctively stepped backwards, I backed myself into a corner. I was a little nervous because he was so big and God only knows what he could do to me... His brother was stalking me for God's sake. I tried to remember all the self defense moves Charlie taught me but Emmett was so huge, I'd probably hurt myself before I hurt him. If only I had the mase Charlie gave me!

"Just stop. Listen to me, please. Edward has me do a background check on everyone who he lets into his private life…" he said in an even voice.

So he's not stalking me? Bull shit. No way, this is way more detailed than a background check. "THIS ISN'T A SIMPLE BACKGROUND CHECK, EMMETT!" I cut him off "THERE ARE RESULTS TO AN STD TEST IN HERE!"

He stepped towards me and I flinched. Maybe if I screamed he would back off? Weren't you supposed to scream when you saw a bear? Emmett kind of reminded me of a bear…

He seemed to notice how uncomfortable I was and he took a couple of steps back, holding his hands up, palms facing me. "What's the big deal? It was clean." He said and gave me a huge smile.

He found this amusing? I shook my head and saw a chance to escape. There was a clear path from me to the door, so I ran out of the room.

He was following me, "look, just sit down, have a drink and let me explain this please. It's not as creepy as you think."

I ran all the way to the elevator and I panicked again. Fuck! I forgot I would have to wait for the elevator. I suddenly realized how the girl felt in American Psycho when she was running from Patrick Bateman. Dread filled my body… I don't want to get sawed in two by a chainsaw.

I looked back at Emmett and he was laughing. "Relax, Bella. I'm not going to hurt you." He was shaking his head back and forth and walked over to the freezer, pulling out a bottle of vodka. "Do you like vodka?" he asked.

"Why don't you tell me, you seem to know everything about me?" I said tartly. I didn't feel as threatened anymore, so I hesitantly walked over to the kitchen island. I put myself in position where I could easily run towards the service stairs, just in case.

He grabbed two glasses out of the cabinet and set them down on the kitchen island and poured some vodka in each.

"Drink this and I'll explain" he slid the glass over to me.

I tentatively took a sip of the drink. "So, spill" I said.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Shit. Edward is going to kill me for telling you this… but desperate times, right?" He drained his glass with one gulp.

I just stood there, staring at him. I wonder what he was going to tell me. A million scenarios ran though my head and most of them involved Edward being a psycho. I took another sip of my vodka.

"So… uh, after Edward graduated high school, he was supposed to go to University of Pennsylvania in the fall…." He filled his glass and took another sip. "But two weeks before he was set to leave, he told our parents that he wasn't going and that he was staying in LA to become an actor."

I never knew any of this. Come to think of it, I still don't know _anything_ about Edward. The thought was fucking depressing.

I nodded my head and tossed back the rest of my vodka, sliding the glass back to Emmett for a refill.

"So, naturally our parents were really pissed off" he poured some more vodka in my glass and slid it back over to me. "And they said if he stayed in LA, they were going to cut him off financially."

I took a sip of my vodka, I wonder if that is the reason why he and his parents are estranged…

Emmett cleared his throat. "Edward didn't care. Once he gets an idea in his head, he never seems to let it go. Anyway, he found some cheap ass apartment on Craigslist in East Hollywood with some sketchy roommates" He was spinning his glass on the countertop. "Um… and for like a year no one heard from him….then after I graduated from college, I went to visit him and he was a mess. We got into a huge fight and by some miracle, I convinced him to go to rehab."

Well, shit I wasn't expecting that. I took a large gulp of my drink. "For what?" I asked, Edward smokes pot and drinks, if he went to rehab shouldn't he not be doing all that stuff?

Emmett let out a puff of air. "You know, I really think that is something he should tell you….I'm already putting my neck on the line telling you this much. He's going to be so pissed." He took a sip of his drink. "Anyway, he came out of rehab and still was dead set on becoming an actor. Considering everything that happened, our parents didn't think it was such a great idea…. So they said if he was going to ruin his life like this, they wanted nothing to do with him…"

I drained my glass. How could someone's parents do that? If they just supported the guy maybe he wouldn't have been in such a shitty position in the first place. What assholes.

"I didn't want Edward to make the same mistakes twice, so we got an apartment together and I supported him while he took acting classes and all that stuff…" He walked over and filled up my glass. "Um... eventually he landed a part in a Martin Scorsese film and his career took off. Then his old fucking roommates must have been sober enough to realize they lived with Edward and tried to blackmail him. Long story short, we found out one of the guys had been charged with extortion before and luckily, everything was settled before shit got ugly."

Ok, that made sense… "So Edward started doing background checks on everyone" I said "but that doesn't really account for all the shit he has about me." I was still annoyed about this whole thing.

He smiled "You are strong willed, woman." He took a sip of his drink "_That_ is my fault. I went a little overboard."

Suddenly, I wasn't so mad, I was just curious. "Ok, how did you find out all this stuff?"

He laughed. "This is confidential, ok?"

I smiled "Ok."

He let out a sigh "Edward thinks I find all this information myself but it's actually my old roommate from MIT. We're still good buddies and he's a computer hacker extraordinaire." He drained his glass.

Hmm… so this guy hacks into computers. Fuck, did he hack into my computer? How? What do I have on there? I sat in silence, processing all this information.

For some unknown reason I wasn't mad. I was kind of happy to learn some stuff about Edward other than the stupid shit they write in the press. I knew firsthand that most of that stuff isn't even true anyway.

Maybe it was the vodka but I suddenly had the urge to confide in Emmett. I blew out a puff of air. "Edward doesn't tell me anything." I said as I sipped my vodka.

He let out a booming laugh. "Don't take it personally. He doesn't open up much, period. He lives in his head and over thinks the shit out of things. But, he'll come around eventually. I think you're good for him." He poured some more vodka in his glass.

What a crock of shit. Wait a minute…

"Did he tell you?" I asked. If that asshole told him! I'll be so pissed. Well, I guess I told Angela so, maybe it's ok.

He smiled. "Again, this is confidential."

I nodded. I kind of liked the idea we had secrets.

"Yes, he told me that you two have a 'secret relationship'" he made quotation marks with his fingers "you've got balls, Swan." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes. Fuck! Did he tell Rosalie this! She'll be the first one to tell my parents and my dad will freak out. "Please tell me you didn't tell Rosalie!"

"Nah, I didn't tell Rose, it's none of her business. Plus, I don't know what you told her but she really has it out for Edward." He laughed "and shit. I'd hate to be on her bad side." He was shaking his head back and forth.

Thank God. That sounded like Rosalie. "Yeah, let me tell you from experience, it's not fun." I said. This was getting into dangerous territory. I needed to change the subject before I revealed the fact that I blatantly violated the NDA, multiple times. "So, how are things with you and Rose?" I asked.

He gave me a huge smile. "You know what?" he took a sip, "From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was going to be my wife someday. So, thanks for sending her my way." He looked so cute. "But I swear if you tell anyone that, I'll deny it. I have an image to uphold." He gave me a wicked smile.

Shut up! I guess I figured they were on the fast track, Rose did bring him to meet the family and that was saying something. "You're secrets are safe with me." I smiled and Emmett's phone started ringing.

"Speak of the devil" he said as he looked at the caller ID.

"Yo, Eddie." He was silent for a while.

"Yeah I got the file"

Silence.

"Yeah, she brought it over to me a little bit ago." he looked over at me and smiled.

Silence.

"Ok, let me look over it… I'll call you when I figure everything out."

Silence.

"Later dude." He hung up the phone.

"Why didn't you tell him?" I asked skeptically.

He ran a hand through his hair and stuck his phone back into his jacket pocket. "Because I think that you two still need to have a conversation about it and when you do, I don't want you to mention what I told you today."

What? I was so confused. "Why?"

He shook his head and put the vodka back into the fridge. "Because what I told you today was to keep you from pressing charges against us. You were really fired up" he laughed "and maybe it will make him open up to you."

I nodded "Okay…. So how do I go about this?"

He started walking towards the office "You're a smart girl, I've seen your GPA… you'll figure it out."

I couldn't help but laugh. I finished the rest of the vodka in my glass and quickly washed both our cups, drying them and putting them away.

I was just finishing as Emmett was walking out of the office, with what I'm assuming was the Sons of Men contract.

I got up and walked towards the elevator. "So what did he need this for?" I asked and pushed the button.

He tapped the folder against his hand "He needs to know what promotional stuff he is required to do for the movie, he's worried it's going to conflict with the filming he's doing now. Once again, he's freaking out for no reason. I'm good at my job. I wouldn't double book him like that." He smiled at me and we walked onto the elevator.

"Oh" I nodded, unsure of what to say. I suddenly felt very anxious. Does that mean after he's done filming he's not coming back to New York? What the hell… I don't want to be separated from him any longer. I wanted to see him, even if he did stalk my life.

We rode down to the lobby in silence. We walked out onto the street and I gave Emmett a big hug "thanks for clearing this up" I said and pulled away.

"No problem, kid" he smacked me on top of the head with the folder. "Give 'em hell, Swan!" he said as he walked down the street.

I pulled my phone out of my bag and saw that it was 6:00, damn, where did the day go? I was too exhausted and drunk to have this conversation with Edward tonight, so I tucked my phone back into my bag and hailed a cab.

I was sitting comfortably in the back seat when I remembered I completely ignored Jake all day. I pulled my phone back out and dialed his number.

"Where have you been all day?" he sounded annoyed.

"What, no hello?" I asked innocently "I've been working all day" it was only a half lie.

"Oh, well what are you doing now? Want to grab dinner?" he said

"Can I have a rain check? I'm not really dressed and I'm kind of wiped out." And drunk I added silently.

"Oh, ok….well, can I at least see you tonight?" He sounded so sad that I changed my mind.

"Well, I guess we could order take out?" I was hungry.

"Good. I'm uh, actually at Mike and Ben's, so call me when you're home, I'll come down."

He's hanging out with Mike and Ben? I guess they became good friends while I was gone "Alright, I'm on my way home now, so I'll see you in a little." I hung up the phone and rested my head against the back of the seat.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived outside my apartment building. I paid the cabbie and got out, stopping on the sidewalk to smoke a cigarette. Once I was done, I walked up to my apartment. "Hello, Angela are you home?" I yelled and didn't hear anything back. Huh, I guess she was at Bens. Was she hanging out with Jake too?

I pushed the thought from my mind and quickly threw on some makeup. I ran into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, hoping it would get rid of the alcohol on my breath. I texted Jake telling him I was home and I threw all my dirty clothes into my closet and straightened out my bed. I kicked the empty Chanel box under my bed and grabbed the manila envelope from my purse and shoved it in the back of my closet behind some shoe boxes. I didn't need my other boyfriend to know all my dirty secrets too. I was just finishing straightening up my room when there was a knock on the door.

I opened the door and Jake was standing there looking so sexy. He was wearing an Ed Hardy shirt and distressed jeans. It reminded me of home. He grabbed me by my waist and kissed me as he walked into the room.

I pulled away "Hi" I said smiling.

"Hey" he said.

"You taste like beer" I said smiling as I pulled his hand into the living room. We sat on the brown leather couch at opposite ends. Hm… why was he so far away?

"Yeah, I was uh, playing video games over at Mike and Bens" he gave me a sexy smile.

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess Madden, or wait! Call of Duty?" I stood up and walked into the kitchen."Do you want something to drink?"

"Madden" he said laughing. "Yeah, do you have any beer?"

I opened the fridge and looked inside. Whoops, I forgot we had absolutely nothing. "Um, we have coconut water, seltzer and diet coke" I peeked into the living room and scrunched up my nose. "Sorry, we haven't gone grocery shopping in awhile…"

He looked at me like I was crazy "I'm not drinking that girly shit" he sounded annoyed.

Girly shit? Sorry this isn't good enough for you. What an ass. "Ok then…." I wasn't sure what to do, so I grabbed a can of diet coke and walked back into the living room, flipping the tab open.

"Whatever, I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get some beer. Do you want anything?" He got up off the couch and walked towards the door.

"Um, no thanks?" I was so confused. He's really going to leave to go get beer right now? He just got here. "Do you want me to order the food awhile? What do you want to eat, I don't want to order any _girly shit?" _I said teasing him.

"Uh, sure. Order whatever you want. I'll be back" He walked out the door.

What the hell? Was I in the twilight zone? I was so annoyed. I walked back into the kitchen and pulled open the drawer that held all our takeout menus. I couldn't decide between Thai and pizza, so I did what everyone does to solve a dilemma: Eenie, meenie, miney, moe.

Thai won.

I called the place and ordered ginger calamari, steamed dumplings, chicken pad Thai, five spice pork and sukiyaki. I felt like a fat slob ordering all this food but Jake does eat a lot, so I tried not to be embarrassed as I read them my credit card number. They said it would be there in an hour so I walked back into the living room, flipping on the TV.

I was watching E! News and I saw a picture of Tanya and Edward kissing on the screen. I was livid.

"_Look who was spotted getting cozy at LAX! Edward Cullen picked up girlfriend Tanya Denali and it seems as if the couple couldn't keep their hands off each other" _

SON OF A BITCH! I quickly changed the channel before I heard any more. Edward told me Tanya would be coming out to LA but I didn't expect to see them all over each other. He tells me he can't stand her but obviously that was a lie. WHAT A FUCKING ASSHOLE. I picked up my phone and texted him.

Hope you're having a great fucking time together. It really looks like you are.

I pressed send. I knew it was immature but I didn't care. WHAT THE FUCK. I took a sip of my diet coke and started pacing in the living room. What did I expect? I knew Tanya was going to be there. I knew they were going to have sex. Hell, I encouraged it! The only person I should be mad at right now is myself. I suddenly understood what Edward meant when he said the thought of me and Jake together drove him crazy. I'm going fucking crazy.

After a few minutes, I calmed down and I wished I never sent him that stupid text. I walked into my room and turned off my phone, putting it in the drawer of my nightstand. I just couldn't deal with that little meltdown right now, I was still too emotional and a little embarrassed. Plus Jake should be back any minute.I didn't really have any desire to hang out with Jake right now. I just wanted to be with Edward. How did I get myself into this mess?

I sat back on the couch drinking my diet coke, flipping through the channels. I managed to go through all the channels, twice, when Jake walked in the door carrying a case of Landshark.

"Hey baby" he said and flopped down on the couch next to me "what's wrong? You look upset?" he started rubbing my back and his face was full of worry.

Shit, get it together Bella. I shook my head "Sorry, nothing. It's just a long day and I'm a little bit tired." I smiled up at him.

He seemed to relax and opened the case "You want a beer?" Holding one out to me.

"Yeah, sure." I took the beer from him and twisted off the cap. "I ordered Thai, hope you don't mind." I smiled and took a sip of the beer.

He opened a beer and sat back on the couch, throwing his arm over my shoulder "Oh" His face fell. "I hate Thai."

I wanted to punch him. "Well you shouldn't have told me to order whatever I wanted then." I was so aggravated, was he purposely trying to insult me tonight?

We ended up watching Jumanji on Netflix and about ten minutes into the movie, our food arrived. I grabbed some plates and silverware from the kitchen and put them on the coffee table. The food smelled heavenly and I was starving. I realized I hadn't eaten all day.

I noticed the only thing Jake put on his plate was the dumplings. I wanted to punch him, I ordered so much food. We ate in an awkward silence while we watched the movie and the whole time I was thinking of ways I could kick Jake out….

Oh my God! I forgot I have to go to my parent's house. Right now!

I fucking hate your guts and you need to leave now.

I think I need to go to the hospital!

I'm dying of a rare heart condition and you need to leave so I can die in peace.

Oh, I just got off the phone with Rosalie, she needs me right now. I have to go.

We need to evacuate, my apartments on fire.

GET THE FUCK OUT.

Obviously they weren't very good ideas.

After the movie ended, I put away the food and cleaned up our dishes. I walked back into the living room and Jake was watching Sports Center, drinking a beer. I found the sight irritating. What was going on with me?

"Hey, I think I'm going to head to bed. I'm exhausted" I said and massaged his shoulders, hoping he would take the hint and get the fuck out.

He looked up at me. "Alright, I'll be right in" he said and squeezed my hand.

Um, that's not what was supposed to happen. I didn't know what to do, so I just walked back into my room confused. I stripped off my clothes and put on a pair of black flannel pajama pants and a black camisole. I grabbed a Klonopin and washed it down with some coconut water that was sitting on my dresser. Yuck, it was warm. I walked out to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. When I got back into my room Jake was crawling into my bed in his boxers.

"Where'd you get the flowers?" He pointed to my desk.

Fuck. I forgot to put away the flowers! Then, I almost had a heart attack. Where did I put the fucking card? I was trying not to look suspicious as my eyes darted all over my room. I spotted the envelope on the floor by my bed.

"Um, they're from Emmett?" I said as I shut off the light and walked towards my bed. I gently slid the card under my bed with my foot.

"Who's Emmett?" Jake asked as I crawled into bed, facing away from him.

"Oh, um… He's Edward's brother. I set him up with my cousin Rosalie and they really hit it off, so he sent me flowers as a thank you." Hmm.. I really impressed myself with that lie.

"Oh, that's nice" he wrapped his arms around my waist and started kissing my neck. He pulled me closer to him and I felt his hands move south. Just as he was about to start rubbing my pussy, I grabbed his arm.

"Can we not do this tonight?" I said.

He stopped kissing me and I felt his body tense. "You serious?"

"Yeah. I'm tired." Hello? I was telling him this all fucking night. Does he even listen to a word I say?

"Um, alright." He removed his hands from my body and I felt him shifting behind me.

"Goodnight." I laid there staring at the clock on my nightstand. After thirty minutes, I heard light snoring behind me. I was so fucking annoyed. Why couldn't he just go home? I have never been so uncomfortable in my life.

I started at the clock for another two hours. The last thing I remember, it was one o'clock in the morning and I was fighting the urge to smother Jake with my pillow.

I was awoken by a loud banging. What the hell. Someone was pounding on my door. Who the fuck was that? Couldn't they just go away? The banging didn't stop and I threw off the covers.

Wait, where was Jake? I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I opened the door. It was Mike. What was he doing here? Oh shit.

"OH my God! What time is it? We were supposed to go to lunch! I'm so sorry!" I said alarmed.

He laughed. "Yeah, um, I guess you had a late night with Jake" he playfully punched my arm "I tried calling your phone but it went straight to voicemail" he said.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! Um, give me five minutes. I'll be ready in no time!" He sat down on the couch and flipped the TV on.

"Take your time. I'm in no rush."

I ran down to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and combed out my hair, it was a little greasy, so I sprayed it with dry shampoo. Eh, it still looked a little ratty, so I braided it to the side. I ran in my room, I defiantly wouldn't have time to put on some makeup, so I grabbed my fake glasses, sliding them on. I threw on a pair of my favorite skinny jeans and a short sleeve, black v neck t-shirt. I added a black and white tribal print scarf and sprayed myself with some Viva La Juicy. I threw on a pair of black thong sandals that had a rhinestone bow on them and grabbed my Chloe bag and cell phone from the drawer.

I walked out of the room and Mike was still sitting there watching Sports Center. I found it odd that I didn't mind him watching TV but I wanted to sock Jake in the face when he did it.

"All ready!" I said and he looked over to me.

"Shit, that was quick. Since when do you wear glasses?" he shut off the TV and stood up.

"They're fake. I didn't put any makeup on so I use them as a cover up." I said smiling.

We walked out of my apartment and towards the elevator. "So, where do you want to go eat?" He asked as he pressed the button for the lobby.

"Hmm… want to go to Bread?" I said smiling. Mike loves Bread and I was in the mood for one of their delicious sandwiches.

"Hell yes!" He looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

We got to Bread and sat at a table outside. We looked over our menus and it took me 2.5 seconds to decide what I wanted. The waitress came and I ordered a diet coke and a Prosciutto Di Parma sandwich and I laughed when Mike ordered the same thing with a coke.

"So, tell me about Jessica!" I said as I dug through my purse for some lip gloss.

Mikes cheeks grew red. Aww. He was blushing!

"Uh, um. She's a really cool girl… we're having fun." He said

I nodded my head and smiled "Yeah right! You are totally blushing!" I giggled.

He laughed. "Yeah whatever. So what's the deal with you and Jake" he asked.

I had no fucking clue. I was so into him before I left for LA and now he kind of gets on my nerves. Luckily the waitress dropped off our drinks at that moment and I took a sip, stalling for time.

I was spinning the straw around in my drink. "Um, I don't know. When I left for LA we were just getting to know each other and now things are just, I don't know, weird?" I trailed off. Maybe Mike could tell me about this guy.

He just nodded his head "Well, he's a real cool guy. We hung out a lot while you were gone" he took a sip of his Coke. "He seems really into you." He added.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah me and your sister" I smiled at him.

He laughed and looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Sorry" I added taking a sip of my drink. "So, do you care to tell me why Lauren hates me so much?" I asked, pressing my luck.

He let out a loud laugh. "Bella, Lauren hates every girl she feels threatened by."

She feels threatened by me? Why? She was a bitch to me before the whole Jake thing. "Oh." I took a sip of my drink.

"So, I was wondering, can you give me Jessica's number? I want to get lunch with her or something… get to know her since you seem to be infatuated with the girl" I said teasing.

He laughed and pulled out his phone to give me her number. I forgot I had to turn mine on and when I did I had 37 missed calls. Oh Fuck.

"Hold on for a second" I told Mike as I looked through the calls. Most of them were Edward, there were a few from Mike and Jake.

I saw I had a couple text messages, from Edward.

What are you talking about?

Are you jealous? :)

Bella, call me back please.

CALL ME.

I cringed. I felt so stupid for sending him that text. Whatever. I looked and saw I had a text message from Jake.

Hey babe. Sorry I left this morning, I had to go workout. Let's do something tonight? Call me later.

Hanging out with Jake was about the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't even bother texting him back.

"Sorry. I had a bunch of stuff for work. What's her number?" I said looking up at Mike.

He read me her number and I saved it into my phone. Our food arrived and damn, was it delicious.

"So, when are you going to Barbados?" I asked. I was a little bit jealous, I wanted to go.

"The Wednesday after Memorial Day" he said as he took a huge bite out of his sandwich. "Uh, have you talked to Angela yet? Ben asked her to come along last night." he added.

What? Angela was going to Barbados? I was so jealous! She was going to be a TV star! "That's amazing! She deserves a vacation. She's been working so hard lately" I took a bite of my sandwich "Are you bringing Jessica?" I asked covering my hand with my mouth so he wouldn't see a mouthful of food.

He smiled "I asked her to come the other week but she wasn't sure. She had to check if they were still filming Tanya's show."

Ugh, why does everything have to come back to that bitch? I nodded and took a sip of my diet coke. "Aw, Mike! That sounds like it's going to be so much fun!"

I took another bite of my food "Wait a minute! Please tell me you don't have to do any filming Memorial Day weekend? We were going to go to Angela's shore house!" I was whining but I didn't care. I didn't want all my friends to ditch me on the best weekend of the whole year.

He laughed. "Relax killer, we're still going to Manasquan. I wouldn't miss Memorial Day down the shore for anything." He said smiling.

Oh thank God. I don't know what I would have done. I guess I could have went to Belmar and hung out with my family but that would be totally lame. "Phew, you almost gave me a heart attack." I said laughing.

We finished up our food and walked back to our apartment building. I was glad to hang out with Mike again. I really missed my friends.

I said goodbye to Mike and got off the elevator at my floor. I was surprised to see a box sitting in front of our door. Ah! Did Edward send me another gift? I was so excited. I picked up the box and walked into my apartment. I sat down on my bed and opened the box with my key.

I was a little disappointed to see it was only the workout DVD's I ordered. I flopped back on my bed. Shit, all that talk of summer, maybe I should start one of these. I looked at the calendar in my phone and saw there was only 8 weeks until Memorial Day. Holy shit! I was looking over the Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis DVD and it was a 90 day program and I only had 56 days! Holy shit! I shot out of bed and stripped down to my underwear and threw on some workout clothes.

I ran out to the living room and pushed the coffee table to the side and put in the DVD. Well, here goes nothing. I was still doing the warm up exercises when Angela walked in. She stood in the doorway staring at me like she walked into the wrong apartment. "HI! There are only 56 days left until Memorial Day" I was already out of breath "so, I need to start working out." I explained.

"NO! That's so soon!" she shrieked "I'm going to do it with you! Pause that and let me change my clothes!" I was actually thankful to take a break. Plus I didn't feel as guilty about it because technically, I was waiting for Angela. She came out of her room, practically wearing the same outfit as me and we both laughed.

We started the workout and by the time we were done, we were both splayed out across the floor. "I can't move. My body feels like Jello" I said trying to lift my head to take a sip of water, even that was difficult. I was sweating like a whore in church.

"Shit. This bitch does not mess around" Angela was huffing and puffing.

"Now, I think I understand Anorexia. It seems so much easier to just not eat anything" I said as I let my head fall back onto the ground.

We both started laughing "Oh, who am I kidding? I like food too much!" I said and wiped the sweat from my forehead. This was disgusting.

Angela managed to roll on her side "Maybe we should start eating healthy? Like only salads until MDW?" She said.

We've done this before in college. We made it 2 days eating salad. "Please you skinny bitch. Like you need to eat salad!" I said skeptically.

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, we wear the same size!"

I never realized that. Huh, ever since I lost weight, we do share clothes. So how come I don't look as thin as Angela?

"Ok, I we have a deal" I stuck out my hand and she slapped it with hers. "But I have a confession to make. I went to lunch with Mike today and I had a Prosciutto sandwich today with fresh mozzarella and it was so fattening and delicious I would shave my head for another one right now."

We both started hysterically laughing. "Yeah, I'm fucking starving." She said. "Maybe we can start the whole salad thing tomorrow?" She gave me a weak smile.

"Defiantly! There is leftover Thai in the fridge from last night" I managed to pick my body up from the floor. "Do you want some?"

"Yes!" she yelled and I heard her groan as she tried to stand up. I reheated the leftovers and Angela somehow managed to move the coffee table back. I brought over some plates and the food and we sat on the floor and stuffed our faces.

"So, how was your date with Jake last night?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

Ugh, Jake. "Um, tell me if I'm totally crazy" I took a sip of my water "the whole time he was here last night, he was getting on my last nerve. I couldn't even stand to be around him." I said and took a bite of pad Thai.

She laughed "Sounds like you are PMSing!"

I rolled my eyes. I was a major bitch when I get my period but that wasn't to blame. "Ha-ha. I'm on the depo-shot, I don't get my period anymore!" I stuck my tongue out at her. Speaking of which, I should defiantly be due for a shot soon, I reminded myself to look at the calendar in my phone to see when my appointment was.

Her jaw dropped to the floor. "Like not ever?"

I laughed. Well, the first couple months I did but I haven't gotten my period in like a year. It's fucking amazing. I don't have to worry about anything. It's like being 11 again, except I have boobs and have sex." I giggled.

She laughed. "Maybe I'll have to change my birth control… Ben hates it when I'm on my period. I want to have sex and he acts like I have some contagious disease!"

We both started hysterically laughing.

"Speaking of Ben" Angela said "he's going to Barbados for Jersey Wives and he asked me to go with him" she said and took another bite of food.

I already knew this but I acted surprised anyway. "Oh my God! Are you excited to go?" I asked

She was quiet and started rubbing her forehead. Uh oh, this wasn't good. "What are you worried about?" I asked

She let out a sigh and set her fork down "Well, it's just I'm not sure if I want to go. I mean I would love to go to Barbados with him but I'm not into the whole being on TV thing. And plus I'm not even sure I can with my job." She took a sip of diet coke.

"You don't get vacation time?" I asked. I wondered if I had any vacation time. Edward never said… hmm…

"No, I do. I just don't know if the school would want me to be on TV, especially on a show like Jersey Wives…" she said.

Huh, yeah I guess I could see their point... The women were always fighting with each other and the school Angela works for is so prestigious, it wouldn't look good to have one of their teachers on a trashy reality show.

I nodded my head and took a bite of food. "Well, if you went with them, would you have to be filmed? Could they blur your face out or something?" I asked. I had no idea how these shows work.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I have to talk to Ben about it. He was just so excited I don't want to hurt his feelings…" she said.

"I'm sure he'll understand. You have a perfectly good reason for not wanting to be on the show, you could possibly lose your job…"

"Yeah, I guess I'll just have to man up and tell him." She said smiling and dug into her food.

"Atta girl!" I said and ate my food. After a few minutes I realized I should probably tell Ang about what I found at Edwards…

"So, I have something to show you." I said and walked into my room, grabbing the folder out of my closet.

I walked back into the living room and sat on the floor. I handed her the stack of papers "I found this at Edward's apartment yesterday."

She started flipping through the papers "What the fuck?" she looked up at me eyes wide.

I told her everything Emmett told me yesterday, I was just so conflicted. I needed an unbiased opinion.

"I just don't know how to feel about it because I know I should be furious" I pointed to the stack of papers Angela was still flipping though "but for some reason, I'm not."

She looked up at me. "Bella, you're not mad about this?"

I was so ashamed. "Not anymore. I mean at first I was and I was really freaked out… but now, I don't really care… and I'm having a hard time dealing with that." I was pushing around my food with my fork.

She let out a sigh and handed me the papers "That's what happens when you love someone" she smiled at me. "Sometimes when they do shit that should bother you, it doesn't." she lightly punched my shoulder.

I was staring at her, eyes wide. I can't love Edward, I don't know anything about him.

"I don't love Edward!" I shrieked.

"Bella, please" She waved her hand in the air. "We've been best friends since kindergarten, I know you better than you know yourself." She took a sip of her drink. "Plus, you just sounded like you did when you tried to deny Chris Kirkpatrick was your favorite 'N Sync member!"

"He wasn't my favorite!" I lied. He was my favorite. I liked his hair.

Maybe she did have a point. "I can't love Edward. I literally know _nothing _about him."

She smiled. "You'll find out eventually. But you should really call him and talk to him about this. You can't just ignore it, even if Emmett told you the reason behind it."

She was right. "Ok. I'll call him!"

She laughed and stood up. "Oh God, I'm so sore. I need to do some lesson plans and you need to call Edward!" she held out a hand to pull me up.

Ouch. That was rough. We cleaned up our food and I walked into my room to call Edward. I remembered Tanya was there, so I texted him.

Can you talk? It's kind of important.

I flopped down onto my bed and grabbed my Ipad, I started playing plants vs. zombies. My phone beeped after a couple of minutes.

I'm still on set. I'll FaceTime you in an hour.

Ugh. I had to wait a freaking hour! I decided to take a shower since I was sweaty and smelly. I suddenly was thankful Edward was busy. I didn't need him to see me looking like a hot mess. I quickly took a shower and walked back into my room, throwing on the pink satin camisole and shorts that Edward liked so much. I brushed the tangles out of my hair and left it down to air dry. I flipped on the TV and started watching Hot in Cleveland.

I heard my Ipad ringing and I was instantly excited. "HI!" I said as I saw his sexy smile fill the screen.

"Hey baby, you just get out of the shower?" he wiggled his eyebrows. "Next time, you'll have to FaceTime me from the shower."

I felt pressure building between my thighs.

"So, what's so important?" I saw him sit down on the couch in his trailer.

Well, here goes nothing. "I, um…. I found something in your apartment yesterday when I went to get that contract….." I tucked some hair behind my ear.

His face fell.

I grabbed the stack of papers and held them up, so he could see them."Do you care to explain this?" I raised an eyebrow.

He let out a sigh and I saw him pinch the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry."

I waited for him to continue but he didn't say anything else. Is he serious? "All you have to say to this, is _I'm sorry?_" My stomach dropped. Was he not going to open up to me and explain this?

He ran a hand through his hair. "I, um… Fuck!" he said.

Well, this wasn't going good. "Ok. Let's take this one step at a time... Why do you have all this information about me?" Jesus. Was I going to have to explain the situation to myself?

He looked up at the ceiling for awhile and then looked back at the screen. "Bella, you were never supposed to see that."

That felt like a punch in the stomach. I tried to fight back tears and remain calm. "Well I did see it, so you better start explaining." I said evenly.

Please tell me, please tell me. I have never wanted him to open up to me so much.

"I don't know what to tell you, I needed to know about you. I'm a celebrity. I can't just have _anybody_ working for me." He said.

This was not going well. Why wasn't he telling me? "Well that would be a perfectly acceptable answer except for the fact that there are things in here that as a boss, you have no business knowing. So why did you need to know the results of my last STD test… or what my parents house looks like… or information about my cousin Jasper. Just to name a few…"

He let out a puff of air. "Well, since we started dating, I do need to know those things…" he said.

What the fuck does that mean? I was getting pissed. "Are you kidding? People who are dating usually just ask the other person, not secretly investigate their entire lives…"

"Bella, I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry" Well by the expression on his face, he could have fooled me.

"Don't you see how unfair this is? I don't know a _single_ thing about you and you _refuse_ to tell me anything about you. In fact, you threw a fit like a three year old when I asked you about yourself. And then I find this" I held up the papers "and the fact that you can't even fucking tell me _why_ you did this… is so pathetic and so cowardly." I was fighting back tears, but I refused to cry.

"FUCK!" He yelled. "You don't think I _want_ to tell you things?" he looked so angry. "I'll fucking tell you them when I'm ready but that's not good enough for you! NOTHING IS _EVER _FUCKING GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU! You don't take into consideration my feelings at all! It's Bella's way or no way at all! And you know what…. I'm fucking sick of it!"

I was speechless. Why is he lashing out at me like this? A tear slipped down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. "I… I…" I didn't know what to say.

"I have to go" he said and the screen went blank.

Oh my God. What just happened? I fell back in my bed and cried myself to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER****

*****PLEASE REVIEW!*****

* * *

**Chapter 17**

I spent the last day and a half locked away in my room, mostly crying and only coming out to workout with Angela. Luckily, between her job and spending time with Ben, she didn't really notice the fact I haven't left my room or eaten anything in over 36 hours. The only positive thing about this situation was I lost 3 pounds. Hello Memorial Day.

Though, that wonderful accomplishment was dampened by the fact that I haven't heard from Edward since our disastrous fight. I was wondering if I would ever hear from him again. We obviously are no longer dating, so I was leaning towards probably not. Plus, I wasn't even sure if I had a job anymore. Every time I thought about it I almost had a panic attack.

Before I could freak out for the 100th time, the light bulb in my head flipped on. There was _one_ way to find out if I was still employed without having to call Edward… Today was payday! I grabbed my laptop and flopped back into bed. I logged into my account on my bank's website and I closed my eyes while the page was loading.

Please let me have a job. Please let me have a job.

I opened my eyes .

Oh my God!

My paycheck had been deposited! YAY! I still have a job! For now, at least! I lay back on my bed, relief flooding my body. Ok, so now that _that_ was squared away, I was starting to feel better about the whole situation. Edward has to come around eventually, right? He'll forgive me once he realizes what a major douche bag he is being. I just need to wait patiently until he comes to terms with it.

Damn, that is probably easier said than done. In the meantime, I'll need to keep myself busy.

Maybe I'll go shopping, that will cheer me up. And maybe I'll get some froyo too. Yeah, that would lift my spirits. I will defiantly need to get some vodka.

I threw off the covers and went to take a shower. I felt like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown. I probably smelled like him too.

I quickly showered, blew out my hair, added some makeup and threw on a strapless, tie dye floral maxi dress. I pulled my hair back into a high pony tail and grabbed my Chloe bag and my cell phone. Sliding on a pair of strappy red sandals, I was ready for a day of shopping. Maybe I'd get a manicure too.

I walked outside and it was warm, like really warm. It felt more like May instead of mid March. I felt a pang, Edward was coming back in May and I would get to see him everyday again and we would have sex all day long… well, not anymore.

Nope! I wasn't going to torture myself! This is going to be a happy day. I took a deep breath and headed towards Broadway, where most of my favorite boutiques are. I was walking past a salon when I got an idea. I turned around and went in before I could change my mind.

I walked up to the receptionist sitting at the desk. She had hot pink hair, two lip rings and her eyebrow pierced. Hm… maybe I'll dye my hair pink…

"Um, Hi. I was wondering if you have any appointments available for right now?" I said smiling. It would be a miracle if a stylist was available but I suddenly had the urge to do something drastic with my hair.

She looked at me like I was high, "Um… let me check the schedule." She started clicking and typing away on the computer.

She smiled "Yeah, Leah is available but she only has enough time for a cut, if you want a color I could schedule an appointment for you?"

Hmm, I guess that was a sign I shouldn't dye my hair pink. Whatever. "I'll take it, I just want a cut." I said smiling.

She picked up the phone and whispered something I couldn't hear. After a few minutes, a girl who could have been a supermodel walked out. She was really tall, maybe six feet and she was beautiful in such an exotic way. I tried to figure out what nationality she was, Native American? Latina? I suddenly felt like such a dump. What the hell? This day was suppose to cheer me up.

She spoke with the pink haired girl and walked over to me "Hi! I'm Leah! Come with me." I followed her into a back room where she gestured for me to sit in a styling chair.

"So, what can I do for you?" She stood behind me and pulled my hair out of the ponytail, running her fingers through my long locks.

Hmm.. I don't even know what I want to do. "Um… I'm not sure. I just really want a change but I'm not sure exactly what…" I said.

She broke out into a huge smile and started playing with my hair. "Let me guess, you're going through a breakup?" she sounded sympathetic.

How did she know? Did I have some pathetic aura about me? I gave her a small smile "Yeah, something like that." I said.

She squeezed my shoulder. "Well, you've come to the right place. How do you feel about going short?"

Hell no! Oh God, this was a horrible idea. "No!" I sounded alarmed. "Sorry, it just takes me forever to grow out my hair and I like it long…"

She laughed. "Completely understandable, you have gorgeous hair so it would really be a crime cut it all off. How do you feel about bangs?"

Bangs? Hmm.. I was picturing Christina Ricci. "Like blunt straight across bangs?" I asked skeptically trailing my finger across my forehead.

"No, with your face shape" She studied my face for awhile, "I was thinking more like fringe bangs. They would still be straight across but they wouldn't be so harsh." She grabbed a piece of my hair and dangled it in front of my forehead, pulling pieces up to give me an idea of what they would look like.

That could be fun. Feeling brave, I clapped my hands together. "Ok. Let's do it!" I said before I could change my mind.

She broke out into a huge smile and gestured for me to follow her into another room.

She washed my hair and we were walking back to her styling chair when I saw a pile of magazines next to a row of dryers. A picture of Edward and Tanya caught my eye. I stopped in my tracks and grabbed the magazine.

"_IT'S OVER_" The cover said. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. Oh my God. Please let this be true!

"You, ok?" Leah's voice snapped me back to reality.

I looked up. "I'm great." I took the magazine back to the chair with me.

She was brushing out my hair and I hastily flipped through the pages. "Do you mind if I add some long layers?" she asked.

I was so concentrated on finding this article, I had no idea what she said. "Uh huh." I mumbled.

I found which page it was on and started reading as Leah started snipping away at my hair.

* * *

_Sources confirm exclusively to In Touch, that Edward Cullen and Tanya Denali have finally decided to call it quits. Sources close to Tanya say that it was her choice to end their yearlong romance and she flew out to LA on Tuesday to break the news to Edward, citing their busy schedules for the dissolution of their relationship. Cullen, 28, is currently living in Los Angeles while he is filming his latest movie, Lost Boys and Denali, 24, is in NYC filming her hit reality show, Tanya's World. For months people have been speculating are they together or aren't they, mostly due to allegations of Cullen being unfaithful, but the couple adamantly denied those rumors and made a statement saying their relationship was stronger than ever. I guess we'll have to wait and see if those accusations did have an impact on their relationship because allegedly their split is being documented for Tanya's reality show._

* * *

Hmm.. I wonder if it's true? It was kind of vague… Also, Tanya and Edward didn't confirm this story and I've come to realize that if the article has the word 'allegedly' in it, it's probably bull shit. I tossed the magazine on the empty chair next to me.

"So Edward Cullen and Tanya Denali split, huh?" she asked.

I felt my face grow hot. No they're still together, he and I split up. I shrugged a shoulder "yeah, I guess so…" trying to feign nonchalance.

"That poor girl, I read somewhere that he was cheating on her… I mean, if a girl as gorgeous as Tanya can't keep a man, how are we suppose to?" she laughed. Was she kidding? She looked like a supermodel. I was the hideous beast who no one wanted to date.

Wait a minute, did this bitch just call me ugly? I was furious. And why the hell was this girl defending Tanya? She doesn't even _know_ her!

"She deserved it" I hissed and dug through my bag for my phone. I was about to text Edward to see if it was true and then I remembered that we weren't exactly on speaking terms. I wanted to scream.

I started playing a game on my phone until she finished cutting my hair. I was in no mood to talk to this girl after she just insulted me. She spun my chair around so I couldn't look at myself in the mirror. Rude. Once she finished blow drying my hair she spoke "Ready to see?"

I nodded my head enthusiastically.

She spun my chair around and I almost didn't recognize myself at first. My hair was still just as long but had some flowly layers and the bangs looked to die for! They were choppy and hit me just below my eyebrows. I looked sophisticated and mature and smoking hot!

"I love it!" I squealed as I was fluffing up my hair with my hands.

She pulled the cape off me and beamed at me "Thanks girl!" I followed her back to the receptionist desk and paid for my haircut and tipped her generously.

I walked out of the salon feeling like a new woman. I pulled out my Chanel sunglasses, sliding them on my face and walked down the street. I headed into one of my favorite stores, Mystique Boutique, and started looking around. I found some cute jean shorts, white shorts, a few flowy summer tops and a skin tight sleeveless black mini dress that had a deep v mesh overlay. I was in the dressing room trying the stuff on when my phone started ringing. It was Angela.

"Hey boo!" I said as I held the phone between my ear and shoulder as I pulled on a pair of shorts.

"Hey! Where are you? I just got home.." she said.

"Oh, I'm just out shopping" I spun around, checking myself out in the mirror.

"Oh! Fun! Um, do you want to go out tonight?" I heard her chewing on something and I my stomach growled. I was so hungry.

"Um, DUH! Where were you thinking?" I pulled off the shorts and stepped back into my dress, pulling it up.

"Um.. Ben was talking about going to GoldBar. And you might want to invite Jake too, it seems like it's going to be couples night" she didn't sound enthusiastic about it.

Eh, I haven't spoken to Jake since our horrible date Tuesday and I kind of didn't have any desire too. "Yeah, I guess I'll ask him" then it clicked. "Oh _great_, does that mean Jessica is coming?" I asked as I sat down on the chair in the dressing room.

"Unfortunately."

"Perfect" sarcasm was dripping from my voice "hey, I'm about to check out, I'll be home in like 20 minutes…" I started hanging the clothes back up on the hangers.

"Ok! I'll see you soon."

"Wait!" I said before she hung up. "Um, I know it's not salad but I was thinking about getting froyo, do you want some?" Please say yes! Please say yes!

She laughed. "UM YES! I'll just meet you there, where were you planning on going?"

"Um, Red Mango?" there was one right around the corner of our apartment. "You know, the one on Spring Street? I'll be there in like 30 minutes…"

"Ok! See you soon! Bye!" she hung up the phone.

I walked out of the dressing room and paid for my clothes, swinging my bag as I walked out of the store. I slid on my sunglasses and lit up a cigarette when I saw a very tan, muscular man walking towards me.

"Jake!" I yelled out and he looked at me twice.

"Bella?" he sounded like he wasn't sure it was me. Weird. It must be the bangs.

We were now standing in front of one another "I didn't recognize you at first! I like your hair" he said as he picked up a lock between his fingers.

"Thanks. I just got it done today." I said inhaling.

He quickly snatched my cigarette and threw it in the street. "This is a disgusting habit." His face was all serious.

What the hell, why would he do that? I suddenly found myself annoyed by his presence again. I let out a big sigh and pursed my lips. "Whatever."

"So….where have you been the past few days? I've been calling you…" He intertwined his fingers with my free hand, his palm was all sweaty and I fought the urge to yank my hand from his, after he just threw out my cigarette the last thing I wanted to do was hold his hand. He started walking with me, in the opposite direction he was going.

What was I doing? Jake was a good distraction once and I'm sure he would do the trick again. I pushed the negative thoughts from my mind. "Oh, I was sick. I must have been coming down with cold on Tuesday because I've been dead to the world since then." I was amazed at how good I've become at lying.

"Oh, well I hope you're not contagious anymore" he said.

"I think I'm good." I smiled up at him, ignoring the sad feeling I got when I saw that he wasn't Edward. "Um, I was just about to call you though, what are you doing tonight?"

"Oh…" He looked around. "Uh, I, uh, I'm busy tonight."

_He's busy? _I smell bull shit. "With what?" _hanging out with Lauren._

"Just stuff for OTA's" he gave my hand a squeeze. I felt a bead of sweat slip between our palms. Gross.

"Oh" I was still skeptical "What are OTA's?"

He laughed. "You really don't know football huh? It stands for Organized Team Activities, I'm sponsoring a football camp in Paterson and I have meetings all weekend to sort everything out."

I don't believe him for a second. He was going to have meetings on a Friday night? Please! "Oh, that's nice" I said sarcastically as we reached my apartment building and he stopped, looking at me funny when I tried to keep walking. "Oh, I'm going out to meet Angela" I explained.

"Alright" he leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips, I was kind of repulsed by the whole thing, I wanted to be kissing Edward! "I'll talk to you later." He said.

"Ok, see you later" I said a little confused. I really had no desire to see him. He kissed me one more time, turned around and walked in the direction we just came from. I wiped my sweaty palm on my dress and used the back of my hand to wipe his slobber off my lips. I cringed. I think it was safe to say, I was over Jake. So how do I break things off with him? Or do I even have to? We barely see each other anymore… Hmmm… I'll just stop contact with him.

I took off towards Red Mango, lighting another cigarette. Ten minutes later I walked into the shop and saw Angela at the yogurt machines filling up a cup. I walked over and pinched her butt and she let out a yelp.

She looked pissed at first but then I saw a huge smile break out on her face. "Oh my God! Your hair! AH! I love it!" she set her cup down and started playing with it.

"Thanks! I decided I needed a change and today was the day." I said and grabbed a cup, filling it up with Hazelnut yogurt.

"Bells, you look fucking hot!" she picked up her cup and walked over to the toppings bar. After having a tough time deciding which toppings to pick, we were walking back to our apartment eating our yogurt.

"So, Jake's not coming" I said and shoved a mound of yogurt into my mouth. "He's got ATO's or something." I tried to act like I didn't care but the more time that went by, the more upset I was getting. Even though I didn't want to be with him, why wasn't I good enough? I was being rejected by two guys who use to be enamored by me and now they don't want anything to do with me. What's wrong with me?

"What are those?" she asked

"Something about Paterson, I think I need to find a new boyfriend." I said and ate another bite of yogurt.

"Well, why don't you just date Edward?" she said with a mouthful of yogurt.

"I don't know… It's really hard being in a long distance relationship" I lied. I felt bad not telling her about my fight with Edward but I just felt so pathetic about the whole thing. We just resolved an explosive fight and less than 48 hours later, we had another one and broke up. The whole situation was pitiful and honestly, I was a little embarrassed about the whole thing.

"You're in love. You'll figure it out" she bumped my hip.

I wished she would stop saying that. I wasn't in _love_ with Edward, I didn't even know the guy!

"Yeah, whatever." I said as we walked into our building. Once we were inside, Angela immediately went into her room and took a nap. I wasn't tired at all and I suddenly had no idea what to do with myself. I put away my new clothes and sat down on my bed, looking through my phone. I saw that I had a gyno appointment next Friday and I was kind of excited at the prospect of going home. I should probably call my parents and tell them. I dialed my house number and I heard my mom answer.

"Bella! Honey! How are you?" I heard pots and pans banging around in the background

"Hi mom! I'm good, I miss you! How are you?" I asked picking lint off my comforter.

"Wait a minute, what's wrong? You sound upset."

How did she always know this kind of stuff. "Oh, nothing Ma, I'm fine really" I tried to sound convincing.

"Mia cara don't you lie to me. Did you and Jake not sort things out?"

I let out a sigh, I didn't feel like getting into this complicated mess. "No, ma, we're fine" I lied "I'm actually calling because I have a doctor's appointment in Jersey next Friday so I was planning on coming home for the night… would that be alright? Do you have plans?" I needed to distract her before she figured out what was really going on with my love life.

"Oh Bella! That would be wonderful! I'll invite the family over and we can have a barbeque! Charles bought a new grill and he's just dying to use it!" she sounded so happy I wanted to cry. I really missed my mom.

"That sounds perfect, I can't wait!"

"You should invite Jake too. I'll talk with your father and convince him to let him stay over."

I doubt he'd want to meet my parents. He didn't even want to come out to a bar with me and my friends… Anyway, I don't even want him to come…I want Edward to meet my family. He at least wants to meet them. Or he did.

"Alright, I'll ask him but he's really busy with football." I needed to plant a seed of doubt in my mom's head so she wouldn't interrogate me when I showed up alone. I wouldn't last five minutes.

She laughed. "Oh that's a shame but the point is you'll be home! Mia bambina, I hate to cut this short but I was just about to start cooking when you called. You know how your father is when he gets home and dinner isn't ready." She let out a little laugh "I'll talk to you later this week to hammer out all the details. I love you!"

"Love you too, mom." I hung up the phone and looked at the time. It was only 5. What was I going to do for four hours?

Might as well do my Tracy Anderson. I changed and walked into the living room. An hour later, I wanted to die. I laid on the floor while I caught my breath. Why wasn't this getting any easier? Once I didn't feel like I was hyperventilating anymore, I went and took a shower.

When I got out, I quickly threw on some yoga pants and a Rutgers t shirt and walked into the kitchen to start drinking. I might as well, I had nothing else to do. I looked through all the cabinets and realized we didn't have _any _alcohol in the apartment. What the hell was going on?

I walked back into my room and brushed the tangles out of my hair and threw it in a pony tail. I didn't know what to do with my new bangs, so I just let them go. Whatever. I grabbed my bag and slid on my shoes, walking out the door. I got to corner store and bought a fifth of Malibu Red and a fifth of Belvedere.

I walked back into my apartment and it was still quiet. I fought the urge to go in and wake Angela up, it would be better for my safety if I just let her be. I left the bottles on the counter and poured a glass of Malibu Red, adding some ice. It was a no mixer kind of night. I was sipping my drink as I blew out my hair and started doing my makeup.

Once I was all done, I heard Angela get into the shower. Halleluiah! Twenty minutes later, Angela was out of the shower, taking shots with me, in her towel.

After three, she excused herself and went to blow dry her hair. I put on my black dress and I realized I couldn't wear a bra since the V in the front dipped down so low it reached the bottom of my sternum. I peeled off the top half of my dress and I grabbed some masking tape. After arranging my boobs around in all different positions, I meticulously taped them so my cleavage was killer. Just as I was pulling on the top half of my dress, Ang came into my room holding both bottles.

"Can you do my makeup" she sat down on my desk chair and set the bottles down. "You're boobs look amazing!" her eyes were wide and she cupped my boobs. "Honk Honk" she said and burst into a fit of giggles. "Why do they feel like that?" she was poking my boob with her finger.

I laughed. "I put masking tape on them to hold them in place" I could barely get the words out I was laughing so hard.

Once we managed to calm down, I grabbed my makeup bag "What do you want me to do?"

"Smokey and sexy!" She poured herself a glass of Vodka. I guess she wasn't feeling mixers either.

Once I finished her makeup, we walked into her room and after much deliberation, she picked out a backless, sequined dress to wear. She looked hot!

There was a knock on the door and a second later Mike, Jessica and Ben walked into the apartment."Helloo" they yelled out and we walked out of Angela's room and to the living room.

They brought Bacardi, Patron and Vodka. This was going to be a good night. We made some mixed drinks and started playing fuck the dealer. I literally got fucked. By the time we were ready to go, all of liquor was gone and everything was starting to get hazy. I walked into my room and it took me awhile to put on a pair of coral pumps that had little gold studs and spikes on the heel. I grabbed an orange clutch and threw in some money, my ID, lip gloss, cigarettes and my cell phone.

I wobbly walked out into the living room where everyone was waiting and we all went downstairs and got into a waiting cab.

We got to the club and went to a table that the guys reserved. Ben handed me a shot and I took it without even asking what it was. I was so drunk, I couldn't even tell. I filled up a glass of ice and vodka and started drinking. No more mixers.

"Bella! Come dance with me!" I heard Angela yell and she tried to stand up but fell back onto the booth. I saw Ben help her up a second time and I grabbed Mike's shoulder to steady myself as I stood up, the room was spinning.

"Schee you guysch out there" I raised an eyebrow and Angela and I stumbled out onto the dance floor.

We developed a pattern where we would dance to a couple of songs and then run over to the bar and take tequila shots. I was so drunk I had no idea what I was even doing.

I was dancing wildly with someone, I'm not even sure who it was, when I finished my drink. I looked around for Angela but I didn't see her. Actually, I couldn't focus enough to see people's faces. I pushed my way through the crowd, falling on multiple people but eventually I staggered outside.

Where did Angela go? I was leaning against the building as I dug through my clutch for my pack. I lit a cigarette and grabbed my phone. I sunk down onto the ground, tucking my knees to my chest. I clicked Edward's name.

"Hello" he answered.

"Are you schingle?

"Are you drinking?" His tone reminded me of Charlie when he was mad at me.

"Maybe." I said taking a long drag.

"Bella, I'm not having this conversation with you now." He sounded pissed.

"You never want to have a converschation with me. Why do you hate me scho musch?" I took a drag of my cigarette and hot ash fell onto my knee. "Ousch" I yelled brushing it off.

He let out a sigh. "Bella. Where are you?"

"Outschide" I took another drag.

"Christ, are you by yourself?"

I could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. Fuck I missed him. "Emmett told me about rehab." I blurted out. "Scho I know everything."

"What?" he sounded confused and there was a long silence."When did he tell you?"

Just then some guy walked up to me and sat down next to me, at least I think it was a guy. I have no idea what he looks like but he smelled really good. "You are far too beautiful to be sitting out here on the phone. Let's go inside and I'll buy you a drink" he started rubbing my knee.

"Ok" I said as the mystery man helped me stand up. Fuck. That was difficult. I leaned against the wall because I couldn't stand on my own.

"BELLA!" Edward yelling in my ear reminded me that I was still phone "YOU BETTER GET IN A CAB RIGHT NOW AND GO HOME. DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU BETTER NOT GO ANYWHERE WITH THIS GUY, SO HELP ME GOD."

He couldn't tell me what to do! I was furious! "YOU DON'T KNOW ME!" I hung up and threw my phone down the street.

Mystery man grabbed my arm "Uh, you want me to get that?" he pointed his thumb down the street.

"Nope" I pushed myself off the wall and tried to walk back into the club but I was so unstable, I fell on the ground. "Owww" I didn't even try to get up.

Then bouncer started yelling "Yo man, she's not getting back in here, get her away from my club"

What the hell! I wanted to scream at him but the succession of bright flashes distracted me. I looked in the direction they came from and it took me awhile for my eyes to focus but I saw a fucking paparazzi.

"Isabella, I didn't recognize you. How are you doing after your breakup?" He said and snapped some more pictures.

Fuck that was so bright, I squeezed my eyes shut and rested my forehead on my knees.

"Leave me alone!" I whined. Everything was happening so fast. There were more bright flashes and some yelling. Then someone scooped me up and carried me into a cab, slamming the door shut once I was inside.

"Where you going?" the cabbie asked me.

What the fuck? Why did someone just put me in a cab! I started crying and told him my address

* * *

I woke up and I felt like shit. Oh my God. I'm never drinking again. I looked at the clock and it was 9 am. Oh fuck no, it's way too early. I rolled over onto my stomach and closed my eyes. After lying there for what felt like forever, my head was throbbing and I realized I was in too much pain to fall back asleep. I needed some water and Advil. So, I hesitantly crawled out of bed.

I stood up, felling dizzy. I felt a lump in my throat and my mouth was suddenly salivating like crazy. Oh no, this isn't good. I ran into the bathroom and threw up everything in my stomach, which was all liquid. Alcohol to be exact, just the taste of it had me heaving. I was kneeling on the ground and I felt a sharp pain on my knees. I sat on my butt, straddling the toilet and noticed my legs were all scraped up. Lovely, I guess I fell last night.. I looked at my hand and there was a large blister in the center of my palm. What was that?

After I thought there was nothing left to throw up, I looked at myself in the mirror. Holy hell, I looked like shit. My eyes were all puffy and there were streams of black down my cheeks. Ok, so I must have been crying...and what is on my forehead? There was a large smudge of _something_ on my forehead. Was that blood? What happened last night?

Oh no, I started throwing up again. I'm never drinking, ever again. After dry heaving my life away, I washed my face and brushed my teeth.

I walked into the kitchen and with shaky hands, I grabbed a coconut water and a handful of Advil. I chugged the whole bottle and took another out of the fridge, taking it back to my room.

I crawled back into my bed and thought about last night. What happened? I don't even remember going out, this wasn't good… Well, maybe I didn't…I was racking my brain trying to piece together the night.

Angela and I got ready….

We were taking shots here…

Mike, Ben and Jessica came over…

We played fuck the dealer…

Then there's nothing…

This couldn't be good. Please God, I was praying I didn't make it out to the club. I can only imagine what kind of disaster I was if I managed to go out in public.

I rolled onto my back and I felt the tape I used on my boobs pulling at my skin. Ouch, wasn't in enough pain already? Did I really have to deal with this too? I needed to get out of this fucking dress.

I didn't even bother to get out of bed, I just pulled the dress up and quickly ripped off the pieces covering my boobs.

Ouch! That was painful. My skin was all red and inflamed where the tape was. This wasn't a good look. I rolled back over in bed and felt a hard lump. I dug around for awhile and pulled out a clutch. Shit, I went out. I needed some clues so I opened my bag to grab my phone, except it wasn't in there. Hmm. Where was it?

I heard movement in Angela's room. She was awake! Maybe she could fill me in on what happened last night.

"Angelaaaaaaa" I whined.

I heard her door open and a few seconds later Ben walked into my room.

"Ang is still passed out and judging from last night, she'll probably be out for awhile. What happened to you last night?" Ben looked completely normal. Why wasn't he hung over?

"I don't know…Did I go out last night?" I asked

He laughed. "Shit, you don't remember?" he paused "Actually, I'm not surprised." He smiled at me.

Oh God. "What did I do! Give me a recap of the night!" I shrieked.

He laughed again and sat down at my desk chair. "Nothing too horrible. We went to GoldBar, you and Angela ran off for most of the night. Then, Jessica found Angela throwing up in the bathroom and you were nowhere to be found. I took Angela home and I found you passed out in bed." He laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

So I did go out last night… How did I get home? I had no recollection of it but I vaguely remember sitting on a sidewalk…

"What time did you leave?" I asked.

"We got home at 2"

Ok, so I left the bar before two. This was a start. "Oh. What time did we go out?" I asked and took another sip of water.

"At like 11:30…."

Shit, what was I doing for two plus hours? Roaming around New York City? I was feeling more and more uneasy as I talked with Ben. I needed to find my damn phone! Maybe that would help.

"Can I borrow your phone for a second to call myself? I can't find mine…"

Ben laughed "Yeah, hold on." He walked out and came back in a few seconds later holding his phone. He handed it to me and I dialed my number.

"H-hello" I heard a deep voice answer.

Oh my fucking God. Someone has my phone. Oh no, oh no! "Um, you have my phone!" I screeched.

"Finders keepers" and the line went dead.

Ben looked worried.

"Someone stole my phone!" I was panicking. Oh my God. There were emails and texts between me and Edward… AND FUCK! I sent him some naked pictures while I was in LA and he was on set.

Shit. This is bad. If this got into the wrong hands, I could be naked and on the internet…. Oh my God…..

I felt like I was going to throw up. I covered my mouth with my hand and ran into the bathroom. I threw up the water and Advil I took. Great, now my head was never going to stop throbbing.

I brushed my teeth and walked back into my room. Ben looked worried.

"Bella, it's ok…Do you have mobile recovery?" he asked.

Oh my God. I felt like I could kiss him. "Yes! I love you!" I grabbed my iPad and noticed I had 4 emails. Those will just have to wait, I logged onto the mobile recovery website. I was able to erase the contents of my phone and lock it so no one else could use it. Ok, hopefully whoever has it didn't already send out the naked pictures. Wait, I have a pass code on there, maybe they couldn't unlock it. Please let that be the case.

I was able to locate my phone too. Whoever created this whole thing was a fucking genius. I was so thankful for this person right now that I would probably give them my first born. "It's at 625 8th Avenue. Where is that?" I asked Ben and he shrugged.

I got turn by turn directions. It was at Port Authority! Oh my God! "It's at Port Authority! They're going to get away!" I needed to go there now.

I stood up and threw on a Rutgers sweat shirt over my dress.

"I don't know Bella, this can't be safe…" Ben said.

"I have to go!" I was on the verge of tears. I kept picturing myself on some porn website. What would I tell my parents? They would be so disappointed. My father would probably have a heart attack and die. I can't deal with that.

"I have to go!" I shrieked!

"Ok.. I'll go with you…" he stood up.

"Thanks!" I said and grabbed a pair of yoga pants off the floor.

"Um….I'll let you get dressed…" he looked uncomfortable and walked out of my room.

I pulled on my pants, dumped my clutch into my purse and dug around in my closet for my can of mase. Just in case, I threw that in my bag as I slid on some flip flops.

I threw my hair back into a pony tail, grabbed my iPad and Ben and I headed out of the apartment. Shit, I didn't even look at myself in the mirror. What did I look like? Whatever, this was an emergency. So, I slid on my sunglasses.

We took a cab to Port Authority. The ride felt like it took ages. I paid the cabbie and ran out, standing on the sidewalk. I was turning around in circles unsure of what to do. I kind of expected to see my phone sitting on the sidewalk or something. This is going to be more difficult than I thought.

"How are we going to find it!" I said panicking.

I heard Ben let out a puff of air. He didn't have any ideas…

Think Bella, think. Wait, ok the website had a locate alarm thing… I grabbed my iPad and hit sound alarm.

I stood there for a moment listening carefully. Despite the loud city noise, I heard a faint ringing.

"I hear it!" I yelled. Oh my God. This has to be a miracle. I shoved my iPad in my bag and ran in the direction of the noise with Ben trailing at my heels.

The sound was coming from a homeless man. This hobo had my phone! "YOU HAVE MY PHONE!" I yelled and pointed my finger at him.

He looked up at me. Ew.. his face was so dirty and his hair was all ratty. Plus, half his teeth were rotten. "I ready tol' you. Finders keepers."

This guy was such an asshole. No way was I leaving here without my phone. "I'll call the police right now. Finders keepers isn't a law! It's stealing!" I said slamming my foot down.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "How you gun call the po'lice wit no phone?" He smiled at me, showing all those rotten teeth. I felt the urge to throw up again.

I was being outsmarted by a homeless man. This can't be happening.

Ben piped in. "Listen man, just give the girl her phone back."

He shook his head back and forth.

"Ok, what if I gave you some money for the phone? Please! I'll even buy you breakfast?" I said pleadingly as I dug through my purse.

The hobo grunted. "I git u it back for a hunna dolla"

How much is a hunna? "What" I said digging through my wallet. I had 30 dollars cash on me. "I'll give you thirty dollars for my phone back." I said

He laughed at me. A homeless guy actually laughed at me. "No deal. I wan' a hunna dolla."

What the fuck is a hunna dollar? Didn't this guy speak English? Wait, did he mean a hundred dollars? He wanted me to pay _one_ _hundred dollars_ for my own phone? Is he delusional? I could go to Chinatown and get 2 iPhones for 100$. Forget that.

I was furious. I grabbed my mace from my bag and held it up with my finger on the trigger. "Listen asshole, give me my fucking phone back or I'm going to mace you in the fucking face. I'll make sure to get it in your eyes, I'll get it in your nose and I'll get it in your mouth." I kicked his shopping cart with the bottom of my foot "And I'm guessing you don't have anything to relieve the pain in your pile of shit. Now, you can either give me my FUCKING PHONE BACK or I'll take it from you. Make your choice."

I heard Ben start to laugh but then he passed it off as a coughing fit. The hobo just stared at me and I tilted my head to the side, flipping off the safety switch of my mace with my thumb.

He turned away from me and started digging around in his shopping cart.

I saw him pull out my phone and he handed it to me. Oh my God! Please tell me this was happening! I grabbed it between my thumb and pointer finger. I didn't really want to touch it, who knows what was in that shopping cart.

"Where's the case?" I said. I swear this guy better not give me my phone without my rhinestone case.

"It didn't got one" he said.

Ugh! Someone stole the case but at least I had my phone back. "Yeah, whatever. Thanks buddy!" I smiled at Ben and we turned and walked away. I locked the mace again and threw it in my bag.

"Where my money!" I heard him yell but I kept on walking. Screw him!

Ben let out a whooping noise and patted me on the back. "Shit Bells! Remind me to never mess with you!" he started laughing. "I don't want mace in my eyes, nose or mouth!" he was laughing so hard and I couldn't help but crack up along with him.

I was just so freaking happy to have my phone back. It really was a miracle. Once my laughing subsided, I just wanted to clean my phone and use it! "I need to get some Clorox wipes and disinfect this thing!" I said.

We walked a little further and went into a Duane Reade. I got a travel size pack of Clorox wipes and cleaned my phone off in the isle. I used another wipe to clean my hands. I paid for them and we hopped into a cab. I unlocked my phone and went to look through all my stuff, except there was nothing on my phone. It was like when I first bought it.

Damn it! Now how am I supposed to know if he sent the nude pictures out? I felt like I was going to throw up again.

Wait, I could check my bill. I pulled out my iPad and logged onto my Verizon account. I saw there were no text messages sent since 7 o'clock last night. I defiantly had my phone then, so those were from me. I guess the jackass couldn't figure out my pass code or his hobo friends didn't have cell phones to text on.

Thank you baby Jesus, I wasn't going to be a porn star and I wasn't going to kill my father.

I checked the call log to see if he called anyone. There was a call made at 1:34 AM…. Ok, so either the hobo called someone or I drunk dialed someone. I didn't know which option would be worse. I guess I'll be able to decide that when I see who was called.

We arrived back to our building I got off on the elevator at my floor and Ben went up to his apartment. "I'm glad you got your phone back.. See you later killer" he said and I waved back and walked into my apartment.

I saw Angela standing in the kitchen, chugging a glass of water. She looked like a mess. Her hair was plastered to the side of her head, tangled in a huge knot and her makeup was literally all over her face.

"Hi!" I said happily. I must have had a rush of adrenaline because I realized I wasn't hung over anymore.

She let out a moan "Why are you so loud? And why are you moving around?" She went and curled up on the couch.

I told her all about my phone and she was staring at me wide eyed. We talked a little while longer and Angela went back to bed to sleep off her hangover. I retreated to my room to restore everything to my phone. Thank you iCloud. Seriously, technology was amazing.

Once everything was back on my phone, I deleted my naked pictures. I didn't want to go through that ever again. I grabbed my iPad and looked at the number that was last dialed and I typed it into my phone.

My heart almost stopped. It was Edward.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

I. Drunk dialed. Edward.

This is horrible! Oh my God. I had four emails. He's the only person who emails me. I opened my emails. There were three from Edward and one from Google Alerts. Seriously, I hate my life. I suddenly remembered bright flashes. Kill. Me. Now.

I opened that email first.

_Isabella Numbs the Pain of Breakup with Booze and Mystery Man._

I wanted to die. I studied the two pictures and almost jumped out my window. In one, I was splayed out across the ground, my knees were all scraped up and bloody and my bangs looked ridiculous. Half the hairs were sticking up in all different angles and rest were plastered against my forehead. My eyes weren't even open and my mouth set in a big frown. I groaned. Why couldn't they use a better picture of me? The second picture wasn't any better. I was being carried, like a bride, by some guy. Who was that guy? I didn't even recognize him, at all.

Oh my God… Did I have sex last night? I started patting down my body. I couldn't have. I woke up fully dressed and I had underwear on. God, I hope I didn't have sex. I took a deep breath and read the article.

* * *

_Socialite, Isabella Swan, partied a little too hard last night. The beautiful brunette was spotted drowning her sorrows at GoldBar Friday night, looking a little worse for wear. Sources tell us Swan was drinking excessively while she was in the bar and left after getting into an argument with another patron. Swan was so intoxicated, she fell trying to exit the club and was promptly removed by security. Though, despite her demeanor, she did not go home alone. She was then accompanied by a mystery man who was defiantly not her rumored ex-boyfriend, NFL quarterback, Jake Black. Judging from Swans antics last night, it is safe to say the couple is no longer together._

* * *

Well this is just fucking great. I'm a whore and a drunk. Perfect. I figured it couldn't get any worse, so I took a deep breath and read the first email from Edward.

* * *

3:30 AM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU

WHAT THE FUCK BELLA? WHO THE FUCK WERE YOU TALKING TO? I SWEAR TO GOD, YOU BETTER HAVE WENT HOME. ALONE!

AND ANSWER YOUR FUCKING PHONE.

Edward Cullen

* * *

Well, judging from all those capital letters, he was pissed…. I took a deep breath and read the next.

* * *

4:57 AM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: Please call me..

Bella, please call me. I'm very worried about you. You sounded very intoxicated and I have no idea who that man you were talking to was. Please call me. I can't sleep. I just want to make sure you got home ok…

Edward Cullen

* * *

Well. I guess that means I called him. Fuck! So Page Six was right, I did go home with some guy?

* * *

8:40 AM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: Page Six

I just saw Page Six. We need to talk. CALL ME WHEN YOU GET THIS. I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND, ISABELLA.

Edward Cullen

* * *

Er, he called me Isabella? I was in trouble… I didn't know what to do, I was so freaked out. He told me to call him but I had no idea what to say because I have no idea what happened… How do I explain this so he won't hate me?

I mean, did I even go home with a guy last night? I'm not even sure! And how would I explain that? _Oh, sorry Edward, I was just depressed that no one likes me so I grabbed the first guy I saw and screwed him? _I doubt that would go over well.

And anyway, If I did go home with him I'm not even sure if I we had sex. I sat there for a moment racking my brain trying to remember. I didn't have any recollection of having sex and I usually can remember _something _about the sex.

Then it clicked! I could figure this out! I talked to Edward at 1:34 in the morning. He said in the email that I was talking to some guy… which I'm going to assume was the guy who I was pictured with. Now, Goldbar is like 20 minutes away so if Ben and Angela got home at 2, I would've had like ten minutes to have sex, kick this guy out and fall asleep. That's not enough time! Right? Unless this guy was a minute man… Which, for the sake of my emotional well being, I'm going to say he wasn't.

So I didn't sleep with anyone! That was good but I still didn't have enough balls to talk to Edward on the phone…Lord only knows what I said to him last night… But I can guess that it wasn't good. Maybe I'll just email him. Yeah, that will be much better.

* * *

12:19 PM  
From: Isabella Swan  
To: Edward Cullen  
Subject: RE: Page Six

Hello. You shouldn't believe everything you read. I went home alone and I lost my phone last night but I found it on a homeless man this morning.

Ps. I'm still alive

Pss. Please don't be mad at me.

Psss. Jake and I are done.

Pssss. But that's not why I was drinking like that.

* * *

I pressed send before I could chicken out. I know this was the most ridiculous email but I had no idea what to say. That last part was a lie because technically, Jake and I didn't have that conversation. But I was so over him, especially since he didn't even come out with me last night. This whole situation could have been avoided if he went out with us. So, everything that happened last night was Jake's fault.

He emailed me back right away.

* * *

12:23 PM  
From: Edward Cullen  
To: Isabella Swan  
Subject: RE:RE: Page Six

If you want to keep your job, book yourself on a flight for LA. Leave today. It's not up for discussion. Get a car service to pick you up from LAX. Use the blackcard.

Edward

* * *

Well I think it's safe to say, he's still pissed. This isn't good. He knows I need this job and he's using it against me to get me to LA.. I wonder what he is going to do to me? Is he going to fire me once I get there? Is he going to punish me for my antics last night? Is he going to make me stay there? Lock me away in a room? Tie me down to the bed have sex with me? Do some voodoo magic on me?

I actually wouldn't mind if he tied me up and had sex with me. I would actually like that, a lot.

Could I even get a flight with such short notice? I grabbed my computer and looked up flights from JFK to LAX… there was a nonstop that left at 9:40 PM. That would give me six hours until I had to leave for JFK… Ok, that was manageable.

I quickly booked the ticket and called a car service to pick me up at LAX. I slammed my computer shut and ran to the bathroom. I was kind of excited I was going to see Edward. I quickly showered, thoroughly washing my body and being careful with my cut up body parts.

I ran out of the shower and pulled a suitcase out of the hall closet. I looked at the clock, it was 2:30. Ok, I had time. I brushed the tangles out of my hair and twisted it up, clipping it back. I laid out two week's worth of outfits, even though I had to be back in New York before Friday, I liked to have options.

I quickly filled up my suitcase and I realized I would need another. I ran out to the hallway closet, dragging another bag back into my room. Two hours later, I was all packed. Now I just needed to get ready.

I took my time doing my hair and makeup. I wanted to look good when Edward saw me. I pulled on a pair of pink jeggings, a white and black cheetah print racer back tank and a long, black knit sweater jacket. I looked at the time, it was 6 o'clock. I needed to tell Angela I was leaving to go to LA.

I walked into her room and jumped on her bed… she rolled over to face me "Why are you so dressed up" she said groggily.

"Um, an emergency came up with work and I have to fly out to LA tonight…" I said a little ashamed. Would she see right through my lame excuse?

"What! Why! When are you leaving?" She was more alert now.

"I have to leave for the airport in a half an hour." I said and rubbed her back.

"Well, when are you coming back?"

"Um, defiantly before Friday. I have a doctor's appointment that I can't miss. So don't worry, I won't be gone a month again."

We said our goodbyes and I walked back into my room. I shoved my iPad and iPhone in my bag and looked around my room to make sure I got everything. I slid on a pair of black ballet flats and rolled my suitcases out into the hallway.

I got a cab to JFK and in no time I was waiting in the terminal. I was starving so I ended up getting a bacon cheeseburger, a large fry and rootbeer from Wendy's. While I was eating, I texted Edward.

I'm at JFK, my flight leaves at 9:40.

I guess I should have probably told him sooner but I was kind of busy. My phone went off right away.

Cancel the car. I'll pick you up.

Geeze, did he have to be so short with me. I felt uneasy, maybe he was going to break up with me. Well, I guess he can't dump me if we're not together…. I quickly called the car service and canceled my car. I realized he didn't know anything about my flight details so I texted him back.

Car is canceled. I'm on Delta 437, I arrive at LAX at 12:30. Terminal 4.

I finished eating my food and I felt slightly better, at least I wasn't starving. I made my way to my gate and my phone went off.

OK.

Seriously? _Ok_. I hate when people text me back with one word.

Is this trip business or pleasure? :)

I pressed send before I could change my mind.

You'll have to wait and find out.

Well, that can't be good. I threw my phone in my bag and waited to board the plane. Six episodes of True Blood later, we were taxing to the terminal.

I was buzzing with excitement. I pulled out my bag and popped half a dozen tic tacs into my mouth. As we were exiting off the plan I had to fight the urge to knock people over so I could get to Edward faster. I stopped in the bathroom and quickly checked out my reflection. I didn't look too bad, I added some lip gloss for good measure.

I took off towards the baggage claim and I saw Edward standing there with his Yankee's cap on. He looked so sexy! I felt myself involuntarily walking faster, like there was a magnet between us, pulling me closer to him, until we were only a foot apart. "Hi!" I beamed.

His face remained impassive and he said nothing. I just stood there dazed, waiting for him to say something. Why wasn't he greeting me like the last time we were at the airport? My heart was beating out of my chest, I was so happy to see him and he looked like he didn't even care I was there. Message received, I guess this trip was business. I walked to the baggage carousel, blinking back tears. Why was he so cold?

I felt a hand grab my elbow and I looked up at Edward. He must have noticed my teary eyes and his face softened. "Bella, just wait until we get home, there are paparazzi here." He jerked his head towards the doors that lead outside.

I rolled my eyes. What does it matter? No matter what you do they make up some fake story any way! "Who cares!" I said and tried to walk away again but he tightened his grip on me.

His face looked amused. "Not here." He said and we walked in silence to the baggage claim. What the hell? _Not here_… did that mean he wasn't going to break up with me? Or did he want to fuck me first? I couldn't wait to get home and get him out of his clothes…

As we were waiting for my bags, there was almost an electricity between Edward and I. I looked over at him and he had that sexy lopsided grin. "What are you smiling at?" I asked

"Just you. I like what you did with your hair. It looks much better than it did in the Post" He was being playful. This was a good sign. He draped his arm around my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. His touch felt like a jolt of electricity.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks" I said. I saw my bags and in no time, we were walking out of the terminal towards the car. He loaded my suitcases in the trunk of the G Wagon and I sat in the car, wondering what to say to him. Why was I so nervous!

He slid into the car and started it up, once he got on the highway, he grabbed my hand. I tried to hid the smile that spread across my face. I was just so freaking happy to be here with Edward and so happy that he wasn't going to break up with me.

I realized, maybe Angela was right… Maybe I do love Edward… I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. How could this happen? How do you love someone you don't even know?

There is no way I'm leaving LA without finding more about him…


	18. Chapter 18

**** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER****

*****PLEASE REVIEW!*****

* * *

**Chapter 18**

We were about a block away from James Franco's house and I noticed that there was a group of cars along the side of the street… What was going on? Did Edward have company? I looked over at him and he had a scowl on his face. This is so weird.

"Um, are you having people over?" We were about to pull into the driveway when out of nowhere, a group of three men jumped in front of the car.

I screamed and Edward slammed on the brakes so hard my head slammed back onto the headrest. Holy fuck! Were they trying to get themselves killed? There was a succession of bright flashes, coming from all different directions. Oh, they were paparazzi. Edward should have hit them.

"Are you ok?" Edward turned to me, eyes wild. I was rubbing the back of my head. Fuck, that hurt. I nodded, blinking back tears. Edward blew the horn and started driving again, this time, much slower. What the hell are they doing here? It's like 2 in the morning, do these people sleep?

I unclipped my seatbelt and turned around in my seat to look at them standing in the bottom of the driveway, still clicking away on their little cameras. I wonder why they didn't follow us up to the house? Maybe they had to stay on the street... "What are they doing here?" I asked as Edward pulled the G Wagon into the garage. He turned off the car and grabbed my shoulder. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He looked so angry.

Why won't he answer my question? I shook my head "I'm fine. They just scared me, is all." I ran a hand through my hair. "Edward, why are they here?" He got photographed a lot but the paparazzi never camped outside his house before… Well except after Valentine's Day. Wait, was this bastard out with another girl? I made a mental note to Google him and see if he was pictured with any mystery women. If he was, I'd smother him with a pillow in his sleep.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know but uh, make sure you don't open any of the blinds in the house." He turned off the car and quickly undid his seatbelt. I can't open the blinds? Why the hell not? Would they take pictures of me while I'm inside the house? Is that legal? Gross, I'm going to have to deal with peeping Toms!

Edward grabbed me by the neck, pulling me closer to him. I was so deep in thought, he totally caught me off guard. He lightly pressed his lips against mine and I just sat there stunned. After a moment, I got with the program. I opened my mouth and sucked on his bottom lip. He tasted like caramel. Mmmm, I missed this. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and started caressing my mine. Our kiss deepened and his lips moved with urgency. He was rubbing his hands all over my body and I was starting to lose control. I pulled away. He was going to distract me with sex and I wanted answers first. Anyway, what if the paparazzi were taking pictures of us through the window! I was so paranoid.

"Edward" I said breathlessly "we need to talk." I was slightly out of breath and very turned on. I needed to keep my hands off Edward so I started rubbing my hands down my thighs.

He took a fistful of my hair at the base of my neck and roughly tugged down, so I was looking up and my neck was exposed. Holy fuck, that was hot. What was with him and my neck? Did he have a vampire fetish or something? Maybe we could roll play… he's certainly pale enough to be a vampire. I could totally get into that, especially after watching True Blood on the plane tonight. He lightly trailed a finger along the hollow of my throat all the way down to my cleavage, he slipped his fingers under my bra and started rolling my nipple between his fingers. Wherever he touched me, it felt like my skin was on fire.

_Maybe just a little longer…_

He ran his tongue up to my ear and bit down lightly on my earlobe. He let go of my hair and forcefully grabbed my chin as he pulled his face away from mine. He stared at me with such intensity, his green eyes were dark and lustful as they were boring into mine. From his gaze alone, I felt a pulsing deep in my belly. He leaned in like he was about to kiss me but he stopped before our mouths touched. He was so close I could taste his breath, so I flicked my tongue, grazing his top lip. I heard him gasp and he bit my bottom lip, tugging on it, hard. I moaned and my breathing hitched.

Ok, I totally was about to have sex with him in this car. I couldn't let this go any further, he wasn't going to distract me with sex! "Stop!" I pushed back and climbed out of the car quickly before I changed my mind.

I ran into the house, this place looked exactly like I remembered it. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine, uncorking it and drinking it straight from the bottle. I was pacing back and forth, all those feelings of loneliness and isolation flooded back into my memory. I suddenly wished I brought Veronica with me, who was I going to talk to while I was here?

I was furious with myself. Damn it, how did he get me back here again? Is this how our relationship is going to be? I just hop on plane when he calls? Well technically, he emailed me but that's even worse. I let out a sigh. It's like he says jump and I ask 'how high'? Damn it! I was one of _those_ girls, I hated those girls.

I was so pissed and so turned on at the same time, this is a disaster. I took another swig of wine. I had to remind myself, no sex with Edward until we have a major conversation. There is so much we need to discuss and I knew once we slept together, I would forget all the issues I had with him. And no freaking way is he conning me into staying here for another month. I'm telling him I have to leave on Thursday. I hope this doesn't turn into a knockdown, drag out fight but I had a feeling it would.

I stopped pacing when I heard banging and I saw Edward walking into the house, dragging in my luggage. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh. I held out the bottle of wine to him. He walked over and took a large swig.

"So," I said. I wasn't sure how to bring up all this stuff so I just grabbed the bottle from him and took another sip.

He laughed and grabbed my hand, walking us over to the couch. I couldn't sit next to him, I didn't trust myself. I would no doubt straddle him and we wouldn't get anything accomplished, except for the pulsing in between my thighs. So, I sat in the leather recliner. A pained look crossed his face but it was gone in a second.

"So" he said and grabbed the bottle back, chugging from it. "I guess I do owe you some explanations…" He passed the bottle back to me.

I took a sip. "Ok but before we get to that, let's start with the fact you suckered me into coming here, _again_." I smiled. I was so happy to be with him, I almost didn't care. I would just prefer if we were in New York…

"What can I say, I wanted to see you." He gave me his sexy lopsided smile.

I melted. It was totally worth it to be with Edward. "I wanted to see you too…." _Take a deep breath Bella_, _you just need to tell him_. "butI'mleavingonThursday." I said it so fast it sounded like one word.

His face fell. "Why?" he sounded so sad. Maybe he doesn't want me to leave? Well, obviously he doesn't want me to leave, he forced me out here. Why couldn't he just be in New York, life would be so much easier.

"I have a doctor's appointment that I can't miss on Friday." I said apologetically.

His eyes were wide "What? Is everything ok! Are you sick?" His voice was an octave higher than it usually is.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I mean yes. Ah.. I'm fine!" That was confusing, it felt like who's on first for a second.

"Well then can't you just reschedule it?" he passed the bottle back.

I was looking at Edward and he was just so freaking adorable, I wanted to stay in LA with him. I wouldn't mind having his baby, I would be connected with him for the rest of my life. Hmm.. I could probably even get him to marry me… Plus, our baby would be freaking adorable. I pictured a little baby with his unruly copper hair and green eyes… As long as it gets my skin coloring, Edward seems like the type that would burn, peel and then stay pale. I refuse to have a child who wouldn't tan, it's just not fair to them…

Wait, what the hell am I thinking? I'm a freaking mess. I can barely handle my own life, let alone be in charge of a _baby_. Snap out of it Swan. "If I do, I'll get pregnant" I said and took a , I don't think I could give up alcohol for nine months right now, or ever for that matter. How do women do that?

His eyes were wide. "Oh. Ok, then you should defiantly go home." He held his hands up.

I laughed but I was kind of offended he didn't want to have a baby with me. Would he have a baby with _Tanya_? That skank hoe bitch. I thought about the article I read at the hair salon… "So are you and Tanya together?" I passed the bottle back to him.

"Yes." He didn't look at me when he said it. That stung. They were still dating? But what about the article! The rage I felt when I saw them together on E! News was starting to resurface. Now that Jake and I aren't together I will just die if he stays with her… or I'll kill her. The second option sounds much better.

I wonder if he will keep dating her... My gut told me yes.

I didn't want to ask the question because I was scared of the answer, so I walked into the kitchen and got another bottle of wine, the one we were sharing was almost empty. I came back in and set the bottle on the coffee table, tucking my legs to my chest. I just wanted to fold myself up, I felt protected that way. "So, tell me about what I found in your apartment."

He let out a sigh. "First, what did Emmett tell you?" he looked at me like he was trying to gage what I know.

Wait, how did he know Emmett told me? Did the stalker have my apartment bugged or something? Judging from what I found, I wouldn't doubt it. I needed to play it cool, I told Emmet I wouldn't say anything to Edward. "Who says Emmett told me anything?"

He laughed. "You told me…." He studied my face for awhile "Wait, you don't remember!" He started laughing even harder. "Oh, Miss Swan… you really shouldn't drink so much" his smile was so big I thought it was going to split his face in two.

_The drunk dial!_ I groaned and covered my face with my hands. "OH MY GOD! What did I say to you last night?" I peeked through my fingers.

His eyes grew dark "Oh, just that." He paused for a moment and his eyes grew dark "and that you want to lick my ass."

_No way_! My hands fell onto my lap and my face felt like it was on fire. I was mortified! I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I would never say that to someone… Well I was drunk, so yeah, I probably would… Holy balls, did I really say that to him? "I told you that?" I managed to squeak out.

He started laughing hysterically and I was instantly relieved. That smug bastard! "Oh my God! You are such a liar!" I threw a pillow at his head but my aim is so bad, it landed on the couch next to him… damn.

After his laughter died down he spoke "Paybacks a bitch, _baby_. You should have seen your face!" he tossed the pillow back to me.

I just pulled it to my chest and laughed. "Ok, that was good…" I had to stifle my laugh. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Wait a fucking minute... do you actually want to do it?" He wiggled his eyebrows and his tone was playful.

HELL NO! My brain was screaming…. But the little devil on my shoulder wanted to please Edward and if he asked me to, I probably would…. Well only if he showered first... God, I'm fucking disgusting. "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out!" I laughed. I needed to get us off this subject before I actually ended up doing it.

"So really, what did I say to you?" I grabbed the bottle off the table, I was still kind of nervous, I could have told him I loved him and frankly, I would have rather told him I'd lick his ass…

His face grew sullen. "You just said 'Emmett told me about rehab and I know everything.'" He was quiet for a moment. "Bella, what did he tell you?"

I gave him the edited version because I told Emmett I wouldn't say anything. I hope he won't be mad at me but in my defense, I was drunk. So that's like the equivalent of a get out of jail free card. "He didn't tell me much, only that you started living with some shady people, you went to rehab and your old roommates tried to blackmail you." I took a big sip from the bottle and handed it to him. I didn't want to tell him about college or his parents. I wanted him to tell me, in his own words.

"Fuck."He said it so quietly, I almost didn't hear him. He leaned back on to the couch and stared up at the ceiling for a long time. I just sat there, patiently waiting.

"I've never told anyone this…" He looked at me for a brief second and his eyes had lost their sparkle. He sat there staring at the floor, looking lost and lonely. Almost like a child. Obviously this was something that he had a hard time opening up about.

I thought about the dark ages and what I went through with my mom. I didn't tell anyone about it. I didn't even really open up to Angela about it at first, she had to hear the details from my mom. I suddenly realized what Edward was going through and I felt horrible about pressuring him.

His words came rushing back to me… _I'll tell you when I'm ready_… I opened up to Angela when I was ready. I felt so guilty, Edward obviously wasn't prepared to talk about such a sensitive subject just yet. I grabbed his hand. "Hey, look at me." I said giving his hand a little tug. He looked up and barely met my eyes and the expression on his face broke my heart. I started rubbing my thumb over his knuckles, "this is obviously hard for you and I get it. I don't want to force you to do something… just promise you'll tell me when you're ready..." I gave him a small smile.

He looked so stunned and then his eyes regained their sparkle. He gave me that sexy smile. "You really are something else." He walked over to me and kissed my forehead. I guess we weren't going to have a heart to heart. I was a little put off, but I'll wait. I'd wait forever for this man…. What is happening to me?

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever." I pushed him back towards the couch. I was feeling brave from the wine, "you're not off the hook mister!" I blew my bangs out of my eyes. Well, here goes nothing. "Look, I've thought about this a lot and even though I have a vague idea of why you stalked my life, it doesn't make what you did ok. You seriously violated my privacy and my trust."

I peeked at Edward and he looked sullen. I had to keep going. "Now for some sick reason, I'm not mad at you. I mean, I was when I found it, but I just want us to be honest with each other. So, I guess what I'm getting at… is there anything else you've done? Because now would be the time to tell me." I took a big gulp of wine. Please God, don't let him say he has someone following me or has my apartment bugged.

I stared at Edward and he was silent for awhile, just looking at the floor. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Why wasn't he saying anything!

_He's not saying anything because he's hiding something _the devil said_._ Please tell me about it. Please tell me about it.

When he finally met my eye, his face was as hard as stone. "Bella… I'm so sorry for everything." He walked over to me and kneeled in front of my chair. "It's the only thing I did. I swear" he squeezed my knee.

What? I was almost positive he was hiding something…but I had no idea what. Did he just lie to my face? Or is he telling me the truth? Am I just paranoid? This is the hardest part, I had no idea if I should believe him or not. I knew he didn't deserve my trust but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt because I loved him. Shit, there was that word again. The fact I loved him only made it that much worse.

What the fuck do I do? I took a deep breath and nodded my head. "Ok."

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead. "I'm going to make it up to you, I promise."

I hope that involved Chanel, Christian Louboutin and Lorraine Schwartz. I gave him a smile and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I can't wait." I plastered on a smile but I couldn't help the uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Edward gave me another kiss and returned to his spot on the couch. "Can I ask you something about what I found?"

I needed to stop thinking about my trust issues with Edward right now, I was driving myself crazy. "Ask away." I said.

"Why did you vandalize someone's car?" He gave me that sexy smile again.

Well, leave it to James Russo to bring up old insecurities. I was still freaking mad as hell whenever I thought about that asshole. I wished I would have taken a nine iron to his balls instead of his car…. "To sum it up, I dated this guy, James Russo, all through high school and after we graduated, I found out he was cheating on me."

Edward took a sip, listening intently.

"Anyway, I was so upset that I didn't confront him about it right away… I didn't even break up with him!" That was defiantly one of those things I wished older me could have told younger me. DUMP CHEATING ASSHOLES! I shook my head back and forth. "But after awhile I wasn't so upset, I was just mad and I wanted to get him back… For days it was all I thought about. He had this black BMW that he was obsessed with, so I grabbed one of my dad's nine irons and my cousin Jasper drove me over to his house." I started laughing at the memory of him running out of his house, arms failing in the air. "I just snapped and started smashing every part of his car I could."

"Was he your first?" Edward asked me.

What a weird question to ask. I just told him I ruined some guys car and he wanted to know if I lost my virginity to him? That was odd. "Yes" I said nodding my head.

A flash of anger passed across his face but it was gone in a second. I guess he's a better actor than I thought…. "Did you love him?" He sounded calm but I could tell by his tone he was annoyed.

It was so long ago, what did it matter? "Um, I thought I did at the time but now I'm not so sure…" I said and took a sip of wine.

He gave me that sexy smile. "So, what did he do when he saw what you did to his car?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I just remember Jasper holding him back while he was screaming. He must have called the cops though, because my dad showed up with another guy and they just stood there, watching me trash his car."

Edwards's eyes were wide "Your Dad didn't try to stop you?"

"Nope" I said and took a sip of the wine. "He said he was really proud of me, actually." I smiled at the memory.

"Shit" he grabbed the bottle from me and took a large gulp. "Ok, one more question." He said passing it back.

I took a big gulp of wine and smiled. "Shoot."

"What were you doing after you graduated from college?" He was studying my face.

Fuck, I didn't see that one coming. Did he know about the dark ages? I was racking my brain trying to remember all the stuff in the pile… there wasn't anything about my mom being sick… in fact there wasn't anything at all from when I graduated to when I moved to NYC… So he can't possibly know…Could he?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Um, we'll it's just seems, uh... you kind of went off the grid. No parking tickets, no job, no nothing."

Damn, he knows something's up. Or am I just being paranoid? Either way, if he can't open up to me, I'm not going to spill all my secrets. Anyway, he knows them all, this is the only one I have left. I shrugged my shoulders "Well, my dad's a cop so, I never get parking tickets" I smiled "and I didn't have job because I took some time off after college."

He nodded his head. "Oh" he laughed.

Does that mean he believes me? "Final question, I swear" He smiled at me.

My body tensed. "Ok…"

"You and Jake broke up? For good?" He was staring at me intensely.

I felt my whole body relax. Thank God it's not about the dark ages. "Well, technically I didn't _tell _him" I scrunched up my nose "But, I'm so over it. He's just so freaking annoying." I couldn't help but giggle. It felt so good to say that to someone.

"Miss Swan, you don't know how happy I am to hear that." He took a sip of wine. "So um, now that you two are done, should I end it with Tanya?"

_This is how he can make it up to me_, if he cares about me, he will leave her. I wanted to test him. Thank God for the wine because I was feeling brave. "Do whatever you want." My heart was beating out of my chest.

"I want to be with you and only you."

Right answer. I couldn't contain my excitement. I ran over and jumped into his lap and kissed him lightly on the lips. He shifted beneath me and I ended up straddling him so he could dig in his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone, pressed a few buttons and put the phone to his ear. I was just staring at him with my mouth open, was he really doing what I think he was doing?

"I've been waiting to do this forever." He answered my silent question. Oh my God! Was he calling Tanya and dumping her? _Over the phone!_ "What are you doing?" I shrieked and he placed his hand over my mouth. What time was it in New York? It had to be like 6 in the morning!

"Tanya" he said as cool as a cucumber.

This girl isn't going to know what hit her.

I could hear mumbling on the line.

"I need to talk to you about something….. It's not working out." He said the words plain as day. Oh my God! Is he freaking serious? I bit his palm and he took his hand away He was shaking it, mouthing 'ouch'.

"Are you serious?" I whispered. Who dumps a girl over the phone! I felt her pain but I was basking in it! HA-HA bitch!

He put his hand back over my mouth. "Yeah, I'm serious. I can't do this anymore. It's over." He hung up the phone and threw it on the coffee table.

I pulled his hand away from my mouth. "Oh my God! You didn't just do that!" I grabbed his phone and looked at the call log, he really did call her. I threw it back on the table. "What did she say?" I was so shocked, excited, turned on, ecstatic, every possible word for happy, I was feeling it. I can't believe he just dumped Tanya. For little old me!

He laughed and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tight. "Well, she didn't say much…I think I woke her up…."

I was so freaking happy. I didn't want to talk about our issues anymore. As far as I was concerned, we didn't have any more problems. I placed my hands on his triceps. "So, we're really doing this?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's you and me kid."

I was on cloud nine! I squealed with excitement. I leaned in kissed him, trailing a line of kisses down his neck. I lifted his shirt over his head and pulled off my own sweater. He pulled me closer to him and knotted his hand in my hair and kissed me. He was literally sucking on my face, my neck and my chest. That was fucking hot. He hastily pulled my tank over my head and unclasped my bra, throwing it on the floor.

He stuck his face between my breasts and shook his head back and forth. I was laughing so hard. I can't believe he just motor boated me! He pulled away, grinning like a child. "I've missed you two" he was speaking directly to my boobs as he took my breast in his mouth. He was sucking on my nipple, twirling his tongue around and around.

I couldn't help but giggle.

I stood up and kicked off my shoes. I pulled my pants and underwear off in one swipe. Edward just sat there staring at my naked body.

"You really are a sight for sore eyes" he said as he grabbed my ass and pulled me close to him. He started kissing my stomach, biting and nipping at my skin. He circled his tongue around my belly button and dipped it into my navel. Mmm. That felt amazing. I needed to get him out of his pants.

I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him up. He gave me that sexy smile and kissed me passionately. I unbuttoned his pants and slid them off his body. He was already hard. Yay!

I pulled down his boxers and he stepped out of them. I shoved him back on the couch and straddled his naked body. I gently slid down on his hard, thick cock. I moaned as he filled me perfectly. He wrapped an arm around my waist as I slowly moved up and down his length. I was bouncing up and down and Edward was just watching me. His mouth was open slightly and his breathing was heavy. It was so fucking hot, watching him, watching me.

I got an idea. I leaned back, placing my hands on the floor to support my weight. I opened my legs and bent my knees, so my shins were resting against his sides. I wanted him to see himself in me, fucking me.

"Fuck, Bella. You're so fucking sexy" he groaned. I guess he liked the view. I started rocking my body back and forth, moving faster and harder. He was hitting me at such a good angle. He started rubbing my clit, it sent shockwaves through my whole body.

He wrapped his arms around me and scooted off the couch completely, so he was supporting my weight and started slamming into me. "Baby, you're so tight, you feel so good." He growled.

He was pounding into me so hard, I felt my pussy start to tighten. I started rubbing my breasts, pinching my nipples. I knew he loved it when I touched myself. He started slamming into me harder. I screamed out as I lost control of my body. I came and I felt like every part of my body was tingling._ Holy fuck_. He slammed into me one more time, screaming my name as he came. He fell back onto the couch, pulling me with him.

We were both panting and Edward had beads of sweat above his upper lip. They looked so tempting, I ran my tongue over his lip, licking off his sweat. It tasted amazing, salty and sweet. I sat back on his legs and ran my tongue over my top lip. "You are fucking amazing" he said. His chest was moving up and down. I just smiled and pressed my lips to his. "You're not so bad yourself" I ran my hands down his chest.

We stayed like this for awhile, just sitting on the couch, entangled in each other with him still inside me. After our breathing returned to normal, he yawned.

"Come on, baby. It's late. Let's go to bed" I reluctantly crawled off him and grabbed his hand, pulling him up to his bedroom.

He crawled into bed behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I felt him nuzzle his nose into my hair. "I love the way you smell" he whispered. Hmm.. What do I smell like? It was probably disgusting after sitting on a plane all day…

"Goodnight _girlfriend._" He kissed the back of my head.

I had the biggest shit eating grin on my face and I shook my ass against him to let him know how much I liked it. He cupped my pussy and wiggled his fingers. I took in a sharp breath. A minute went by and I was disappointed he didn't keep moving his fingers, what the hell! "Goodnight, _boyfriend" _I said, hoping for round two.

I heard nothing. Oh my God! Was he asleep already? It's been like a second! I involuntarily yawned, I guess I was pretty exhausted too.

Wrapped in Edward's arms, I drifted off into the most peaceful sleep.

I woke up and my room was pitch black. Weird, it must be nighttime still. I looked at the clock, it was noon. Weird…Why is it so dark in here? I tried to roll over onto my back, except I couldn't. Someone was in bed with me! I panicked, sitting upright in bed. Who the fuck was in my room! I looked at the body next to me. After a couple moments, my eyes adjusted. Oh, it was just Edward. I relaxed, remembering I was in California. He looked up at me dazed, still half asleep. Wait, shouldn't he be on set right now? "Why are you still here?" I shrieked.

He pulled my body back against his. "Well that makes me feel great, good morning to you too" he kissed me lightly on my shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me.

I smiled. "Sorry, that's not what I meant!" I rolled over so we were face to face, our bodies were pressed together. "Don't you have to be on set today?" I ran my hands down his arms.

"Not until one" he cupped my ass in his hand and started kissing my neck. If he had to be on set by one, he should have defiantly left by now. Fuck, I didn't want this to stop but I guess he had no idea what time it was. Maybe I didn't have to tell him... After a long internal debate, I realized I probably should. "Um, it's noon."

His jerked away from me, "What?" he sat up and looked at the clock. "Fuck! I overslept!" He shot out of bed and ran into the closet, even though it was dark, I had a glorious view of his ass. I rolled over onto my back. Damn it. I shouldn't have told him. Now what am I going to do? I didn't want him to leave…

"So, how long are you going to be gone?" I tried to hide the disappointment from my voice.

He walked out of the closet wearing nothing but a pair of distressed jeans. "Um, it will probably be late…." He said and walked into the bathroom, flipping the light on.

Ouch, that was freaking bright. Thanks for the warning! Not.

So, I was going to be here all day, alone. This freaking sucks. "Oh" I said and sat up in bed, wrapping the sheet over my boobs.

He walked out of the bathroom brushing his teeth, "Do you want to come with me today? I won't be around much but I know you hate being here alone…." He walked back into the bathroom.

Hmm… maybe I could walk around Venice. It would at least get me out of the house. "Ok! How much time do I have to get ready?" I asked as I shot out of bed. Damn, all my luggage was downstairs. I ran downstairs completely naked and threw open my suitcases. Maybe I could go to the beach today! I dug around and put on the first bikini I found, a triangle zebra print top and a solid black ruffle trimmed bottom that exposed the bottom of my ass cheeks. I threw on a pair of short jean shorts and a loose black racer back tank. I dug around for my bathroom bag and ran back upstairs.

I almost crashed into Edward on the stairs. "I just need to brush my teeth!" I yelled as I ran past him. I got into the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth, eyeing my face. Oh gross. One of my eyelashes was hanging on by a thread and my makeup was a mess. I guess I'll have to do it in the car. And my hair! AH! I tried to tame my bangs with my fingers. I finished brushing my teeth and quickly washed my face. I ran back downstairs and Edward was standing by the door to the garage, patiently waiting.

I grabbed my bag of makeup out of my suitcase along with a pair of black thong sandals. I'll just put them on in the car. I was looking around frantically for my purse but couldn't find it anywhere.

"It's in the car" Edward said. I swear, he can read my mind….

Oh… I forgot in my hasty departure that I never took my bag inside with me. I skipped over to where Edward was waiting, kissing him quickly on the lips as I walked past him. He smiled and ran a hand through his hair. I loved the fact that he didn't try to rush me at all.

We climbed into the G Wagon and it was 12:19. If there is no traffic, we might just make it to Venice on time. I pulled down the visor and grabbed my makeup bag as he backed out of the driveway. I was a little surprised to see that the paparazzi were still there. "I wonder if they slept here all night." I asked as Edward drove down the street.

I started putting on some eyeliner and Edward started swerving the car back and forth. The movement caused me to draw a black line all the way up to my eyebrow. That asshole! "What are you doing!" I shrieked. I looked at him and he laughed when he saw my face.

"You don't need all that make up, you look fucking beautiful right now." He gave me that lopsided smile and suddenly I wasn't mad anymore. I leaned over and kissed him.

I pulled away. "Nice try but I'll never give up my makeup!" I said and licked my finger, trying to get rid of the eyeliner. I turned on the radio and started singing along with Britney Spears _I'm a Slave 4 U. _ How appropriate.

"I'm not listening to this shit" Edward changed the station and I screamed.

"You can't change Britney!" I tried to find the song but it wasn't on any of the preset stations. What the hell! I was furious. I left it on a station playing Train. "I hate you right now." I was full on pouting and Edward just rolled his eyes as he slid on a pair of Ray Bans. "So dramatic, Miss Swan"

I managed to put on my makeup while Edward was slamming on the breaks and swerving into different lanes. I wanted to strangle him by the time we got to Venice. We arrived on set at 1:13, only a little bit late. Edward and I walked hand in hand to his trailer and there were two women waiting inside for him. I was a little taken aback when I saw them. Who the fuck were these girls?

He sat down on a chair without speaking to either one of them and one girl started doing his makeup while the other started fixing his hair. Oh, they were just his makeup team… I suddenly felt very awkward just standing there. "Um" I pointed my thumb to the door "I'm just going to go get some coffee, do you want anything?" I asked as I started backing out of the trailer.

"No I'm fine." He tried to look over at me and the girl grabbed his chin and moved it back. I suddenly had the urge to punch her for touching him. I needed to get out of here before I actually assaulted someone. "Ok…. um… well… I'll see you later." I walked out of the trailer, unsure of where to go or what to do. I headed towards the boardwalk and pulled out my cell phone, looking at it for the first time since I got to LA. I had a couple text messages, three missed calls and an email.

Shit. I decided to read the email first. It was a Google Alert and my stomach dropped. I could only imagine what they were saying about me now. I opened the email and saw a link to Perez Hilton. The webpage loaded and I hesitantly read the caption.

_Edward Cullen and his Assistant Reunited in LA._

Ok, well that wasn't so bad. I relaxed a little bit as I looked at the pictures. They weren't so bad either. One was a picture of the back of us and his hand was on my shoulder. The other was a picture of the two of us walking out of the airport, Edward carrying my bags. The last was a picture of us in the car, I'm assuming outside of James Franco's house. I broke out into a huge smile, at least I looked somewhat decent in these pictures! I felt a little better as I read the article.

* * *

_Hot off the heels of his rumored breakup with Tanya Denali, the uber sexy Edward Cullen flew out his beautiful __girlfriend__ PA, Isabella Swan, to the city of Angels. The duo kept the PDA to the minimum but onlookers say the two are defiantly an item. This hard partying socialite is one lucky bitch!_

* * *

Well, that was probably one of the better things written about me. But why the hell do they keep calling me a socialite? What does that even mean? I closed the page and checked my missed calls. They were from Jake. I groaned. I looked at my texts and they were all from Jake too. Double groan.

Hey baby, what are you doing tonight?

You're in fucking LA?

HELLO. ANSWER ME.

He's so demanding. We're not even together! I kind of wished he would leave me alone. I threw my phone back into my bag and walked into a little coffee shop. I got an iced coffee and fruit cup. I walked back onto the boardwalk and onto the beach. I sat down and watched the people surfing in the water as I ate. I would love to go surfing. I wonder if they do surf lessons here? There are like a million surf shops, one of them has to offer lessons! I quickly ate my fruit and stood up, brushing the sand off my butt. I was determined to learn how to surf today.

I made my way into what felt like every surf shop on and off the boardwalk and after two hours, I finally found a shop that had an open surf lesson. In no time, I was walking out to the beach dragging a heavy ass surf board with a guy named Tyler, who seemed extremely high. I couldn't help but laugh every time he said "dude, it's just so totally gnarly to be one with the ocean. Ya know?"

Yeah, whatever you say buddy.I peeled off my clothes and I heard my phone ringing. I dug through my bag and looked at the caller ID… it was Edward. I held up a finger to Tyler and answered the phone.

"Hi!" I sung into the phone.

"Hey, where are you?" he sounded worried.

"I'm actually about to get surfing lessons!" I was bouncing up and down I was so excited.

I heard him laugh. "You're kidding. I've got to see this. Where are you?" I asked Tyler where we were and relayed it to Edward. "Don't you have to be on set?"

"Nah, there shooting some scenes that I'm not in… I'll see you in a couple minutes." He said and we hung up the phone. I pulled on my pink and black wetsuit which I was a little disappointed I had to wear. I thought it would be like Blue Crush and I could just surf in my cute bikini but Tyler said something about how I don't want to be "trunkin", like I was supposed to know what that meant.

After I wiggled my way into my wetsuit, Tyler showed me how to hop up on my board on the sand. I did it at least a dozen times and I was starting to get exhausted from all the hopping up and down. Anyway, how exactly was this supposed to help me surf?

"Bunny, you're totally ready to hit the bumps." He said.

I just sat on my board. "Huh?" I asked.

He laughed, looking at me like I was dense. "Bunny, you're ready to go out into the water."

Um, is he serious? I'm totally not ready to go out into the water yet. I looked out into the ocean and swallowed hard. Those waves were not small… and why the hell was he calling me bunny. "Um… shouldn't we practice more on the beach?" I looked back at him.

"Just chill bunny" he grabbed me by the shoulders "we'll start with the foamer." I wish this guy would speak English.

Carpe Diem, right? "Ok, if you say so!" I said and picked up my board. He helped me carry it to the water and I hesitantly put my feet in. Shit! This water was freezing! I guess that's why Tyler told me to wear a wetsuit. I looked up and he was already up to his waist in water and he looked back at me and told me to paddle out.

Why wasn't he helping me? Well here goes nothing. I did the Sign of the Cross and hesitantly walked out a little further and put my board into the water. I carefully got on the board and started paddling out, screaming each time a wave flipped me upside down. Why the hell isn't he showing me what to do?

After some struggles, I made it out to where Tyler was standing. Why the fuck didn't he just pull me out. I looked around and felt a little better, the waves were really tiny out here. It was just like boogey boarding down the shore I told myself.

"Ok bunny, now I want you to stand up." Tyler held the side of my board and I took a deep breath and stood up. I lost my balance and fell off right away. There wasn't even a wave.

I shot out of the water and Tyler was laughing at me. I rolled my eyes and climbed back onto the board. This time I had some kind of idea what it was going to be like and I was able to stand for a couple seconds before I fell off. Damn it, this was much harder than it looked.

After three more tries, I finally managed to stand up without falling. A small wave was approaching and Tyler pushed my board forward "Go bunny!"

I screamed as I started moving forward and I fell into the water, doing a belly flop. Owww, that hurt but oh my God! That was so fun!

I popped out of the water and bushed the hair out of my face. I walked back out to Tyler "That was amazing!" I giggled.

He laughed and held my board while I got on again. I kept falling and falling and falling. After what felt like my 100th try, I finally rode a wave all the way to the shore. My board kind of got stuck off the sand and I managed to hop off without falling on my face. I was jumping up and down looking at Tyler who was running towards the sand.

"I did it!" I screamed as he ran up to me and pulled me into a hug, lifting me off the ground.

"You were shredding bunny!" He set me back down and I heard someone clear their throat behind me. "I'm very impressed Miss Swan" Shit. I forgot all about Edward. Oh my God! How long has he been here? I hope he didn't see me fall all those times.

I turned around and tried to walk towards him but I stumbled because I was still tied to my board. He just laughed and walked over to me, placing a light kiss on my lips. I pulled back and he brushed his thumbs under my eyes. Oh shit, I probably had mascara running down my face. Whatever, I was having too much fun to care.

"Did you see me!" I was so freaking happy I couldn't contain it. That was so much fun.

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah! You did really good babe." He laughed. I heard Tyler moving behind me and I felt really rude forgetting about him.

"Oh, Edward this is Tyler" I pointed back and forth between the two guys.

"Sup brah" Tyler said to Edward.

"Uh, hey man?" Edward said looking a little uncomfortable. "Um, Bella, are you done with your lesson?" he looked nervous and I looked to Tyler. I didn't want my lesson to be over but I'm sure I was defiantly out there longer than the hour I paid for.

"Yeah bunny, time is up." Tyler said unstrapping the board from my ankle.

NO! I didn't want this to be over. I was having so much fun. "Really? But I finally stood up!" I whined.

Tyler laughed and Edward stood there looking bored. Why was he such a party pooper?

"Um, well, can I get another lesson tomorrow? Are you available?" I asked. Please, please, please be available. I really wanted another lesson.

"Yeah bunny. Same time?" He picked up the board.

"Yeah!" I smiled and nodded my head.

Tyler said goodbye and walked back towards the surf shop carrying the surf board. I turned to Edward and he was smiling at me.

"That was so much fun!" I said and unzipped my wetsuit. Peeling it off my body. I had to wiggle my legs a bit to get it over my butt.

Edward just watched me the entire time with his mouth open. Once I had my wetsuit off, he went to hand me a towel but then pulled it back.

"What are you doing?" I laughed and tried to grab the towel again.

"I'm just enjoying the view" he said with a wicked grin on his face.

I walked over and jumped on him. Kissing him hard on the lips. I wrapped my legs around him and he grabbed my ass. We just kissed for what felt like ages until he pulled back. "Here, dry off and I'll go get us some food. My publicist would kill me if I fucked you on the beach." I was instantly wet.

He kissed me one last time and I unwrapped my legs from his body. He set me on the ground and I laughed when I saw I got his clothes all wet. "Whoops" I said as I grabbed my towel off the ground.

Edward looked down and laughed. I walked back over to my bag drying off my arms. I felt a hand on my ass. "Miss Swan, I really like this bathing suit you're wearing" he trailed a finger along the edge of my swimsuit. His touch gave me goose bumps. I bumped him with my hip and took a step forward, shaking my ass at him.

He laughed. "So, why was that guy calling you bunny?" He ran a hand through his hair and looked pissed.

Hmm, was Edward jealous? "I have no clue! You jealous?" I smiled at him and squeezed the water out of my hair.

He slapped my ass and kissed my forehead. "Maybe. There's a taco truck here, what do you want, _bunny_?" He asked.

"Um, a chicken taco and a frozen lemonade!" I said rubbing the towel over my arms.

"Ok, I'll be right back" He walked off the beach and I just watched him go.

By the time Edward came back, I dried my body off and French braided my hair. He handed me my food and I sat Indian style on my towel.

"You look way too skinny, have you been eating?" He passed me my food.

I was so happy. "Really!" I was examining my stomach. What a liar, there was a roll in the center of my belly. That was revolting. I went to grab my shirt and Edward yanked it out of my reach.

"Nope. I'm enjoying the view" he said and took a bite of his taco.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, where's my view?" I dug through my purse and put on my sunglasses. "Take it off" I said.

He laughed and peeled off his shirt. "Better?" he said.

"Much" I leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "So, I don't think I ever asked you… when are you done filming?" I took a bite of my taco.

"Tentatively, the second week of May" he said and took a bite of his taco.

I thought of what Emmett said about promotions for his new movie… I wonder what the deal with that was.. "Are you coming back to New York then?"

He looked up at me. "Um, actually I wanted to talk to you about that…" My stomach dropped. This couldn't be good. I took a sip of my lemonade. It was delicious. "Ok…"

He took another bite of food and chewed slowly. Was he stalling for time? Spit it out buddy! "Well, uh, I have a new movie coming out Memorial Day weekend and I'll be doing a lot of promotions and press for that and then I have to go to the MTV Movie Awards to show a clip of the movie I'm filming now…"

I had no idea what that meant. "So, you're not coming back to New York?"

He laughed. "Well, I will be in New York for the Sons of Men premiere but it will only be for a few days because I'll have to come back to LA for the Movie Awards." He ran a hand through his hair.

He wasn't answering my question. "Are you coming back or not?" I said a little exasperated.

"Yes but it won't be until the second week of June." He didn't look at me when he said it.

What the fuck. I wasn't going to see him until _June_ now! "Are you joking? Because this isn't funny..."

He just sat there and shrugged his shoulders "Bella, it's my job. I don't know what to tell you."

I wanted to cry. "What the hell! I'm not going to see you until June!" I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice.

He smiled. "Well, that's the other thing… I want you to come with me."

My jaw must have hit the ground. Why does he do this? I'm not some puppy dog that will follow him around everywhere. I have a life. "No way!" I said and took a bite of my taco.

He put his hand over his heart. "Ouch!" he laughed. "No, seriously, I need you to come… _as my assistant_" he clarified.

Oh, I forgot I actually worked for him. We were having a _work_ conversation, not a relationship conversation. Damn, the lines between Edward my boss and Edward my boyfriend were getting very blurry. I dug around my bag for my planner and a pen. "Oh." I felt a little bit better about coming to LA if it was actually for work. "Ok. Give me the details!" I said as I flipped open to May.

Edward laughed. "Um, the west coast premiere is the Tuesday before Memorial Day so I'll need you to come to LA a week before that because I'll have to do interviews and all that kind of stuff." I quickly wrote the dates in my planner. "Then, we'll have to fly to New York that night so I have time to do press before the east coast premiere on Thursday." I scribbled that down too. "Then, we will have to come back to LA."

I was looking at the dates in my planner "Wait!" I cut him off. "I have to go to the shore for Memorial Day, so I need that weekend off" I smiled sweetly at him, I hope I have personal days…

"You need off that weekend?" He said skeptically.

Shit, does that mean I can't have it off? "Um, is that going to be a problem?" I asked.

He laughed. "No.. I mean I guess we can fly back to LA after the weekend…"

WAHOO! Wait, did he say we? Does that mean he'll be around? "Um… do you, or um.. Would you want to come to the shore with me?" I looked down at the sand. "Well, me and my friends?" I added looking up at him.

He smiled and started playing with the sand "you want me to meet your friends?" he looked up at me and he looked so freaking cute.

I nodded my head biting my bottom lip.

"I'd like that" he said.

I was so happy I launched myself at him, crashing into him with such force that I knocked him on his back, so he was lying on the sand with me on top of him. "Ah! We're going to have so much fun!" I kissed him on the lips and he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing my ass.

We pulled apart. "But you have to get a spray tan before we go! You're a _little_ pale." I giggled and kissed him lightly on the lips. Before I knew it, he rolled over so I was on my back and he was sitting on top of me, straddling me. "What was that Miss Swan?" He started tickling my sides. Oh no! I was pinned, I couldn't move and I was laughing hysterically.

I was gasping for air. "Ok. I'm sorry!" I gasped "You don't have to get a spray tan!" I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt. He rolled off of me and I was trying to catch my breath. I sat up and I felt the back of my hair and I screamed. "You got sand in my hair!" He looked so cute I wasn't even mad at him. I quickly undid my braid and tried to rub all the sand off. It was a hard feat, so I just let it go and twisted the sandy mess up in a bun.

He stood up and held a hand out to me. "Come on, sandman, I have to get back on set." He pulled me up and brushed all the sand off my back. I put on my clothes back on and we strolled hand in hand back to Edward's trailer.

After a steamy make out session on the couch, Edward was back on set and I was left alone in the trailer. I had no idea what to do so I curled up on the couch and started watching a movie on Lifetime. I must have dozed off because the next thing I know, I heard my phone ringing. I sat up groggily and looked around. I was a little surprised to see Edward standing there holding my phone. Oh when did he get back?

"Hi" I said as I sat up and stretched out my stiff body. Shit, I was really sore from surfing. "Who called?" I asked.

Edward looked pissed. He sat down next to me and tossed my phone on my lap. "Jake. You need to call and break up with him. Now" his tone was menacing.

What the hell? "Why? Can't I just ignore him? We're not even really together." I said as I unlocked my phone.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Judging from the text messages he's been sending you, he has a very different opinion about your relationship."

What the fuck was he talking about? "What?" I asked and opened my text messages. In addition to the texts from this morning, there were several new texts that I didn't open but someone else did.

Baby, call me. I'm worried.

Maybe this will get your attention.

There was a picture of Jake's hard erection with his hand gripping it firmly. Whoa, I cocked my head to the side. I was kind of turned on. Damn, he is so fucking big.

Edward cleared his throat and it snapped me out of my sexual daze. Oh shit. I forgot about Edward. Whoops. "Did you go through my phone?" I was suddenly pissed. "Wait! How do you know my passcode?"

"It's not like its hard, it's your birthday" he shot up off the couch. He pointed to the phone. "That's not the fucking point, Bella. Break it off with him, now. I want to hear it."

What is his problem? It's not like I sent naked pictures to Jake… he sent them to me and I didn't even ask for them! "Are you serious?"

"Dead fucking serious." His facial expression told me he wasn't kidding.

Holy shit. What am I suppose to do? I don't want to be with Jake but I can't break up with him after he just sent me a naked pic. It's kind of rude.

"What do I tell him?" I started rubbing my forehead. I wish I had some vodka. "That I'm dating you?"

"If you want." He grabbed the phone from my hand and dialed Jake. He pressed speaker and handed the phone to me.

Oh my God! I didn't even have time to get my thoughts together. My stomach was in knots as the phone rang.

"Hey baby. I've been thinking about you." Jake said.

I glanced at Edward and his jaw flexed. This is so awkward.

"Um, Hi." I said. I was suddenly pissed at Edward for making me do this. I didn't want to be with Jake. Why couldn't Edward just take my word for it? Not stand over my shoulder while he forced me to dump him. I wasn't even sure if we had something to break off!

"So, uh are you in Los Angeles? Why didn't you tell me?" Jake asked.

I looked up at the ceiling. I had no idea what to say. "Um. Yeah. Something came up with work… uh, listen… what is the deal with us?" I asked and I peeked at Edward. He mouthed "what the fuck are you doing?"

Yikes. I looked back down at the floor.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Jake sounded confused.

"Look, I mean… I don't know how to say this but I think we're just in different places right now…" I said.

Jake laughed. "Bella, I think we established that you're in Los Angeles already…"

Shit. Does he have to be so obtuse? "No.. I mean, you're busy with football and I'm busy with work…. And I guess I'm just trying to say, with our schedules, maybe it would be better if we took a break?"

The line was silent for a minute. God, I felt horrible. "Bella. Look I'm sorry that I haven't been around lately but let's just talk about this in person. When are you coming back?"

I looked up at Edward, ashamed. I didn't know what to do. If I was going to break up with Jake, I would rather do it face to face and not with my boyfriend hovering over my shoulder. "Ok…. I'll be back Friday." I said hesitantly.

Edward stood up and bolted out of his trailer. Slamming the door. Shit.

"Ok. Let's go to dinner Friday night. I'll pick you up at seven?" Jake said.

Wait. Friday, I had dinner with my parents.

"Um. Friday isn't good actually. I'm going home to visit my parents." I said.

"Well, I'll come over before and I can drive you out to Jersey. You said your dad's a fan of mine, I'd love to meet him." He said.

Holy fuck. Didn't I just try to break up with him? And now he's just invited himself to meet my parents? Was I in the twilight zone? I was so thankful Edward wasn't here. This turned into a disaster.

"Um. Ok?" I said. "Um, I have to go though? I'll talk to you later?"

As soon as I heard Jake say bye, I hung up the phone. What the fuck just happened? More importantly, where did Edward go?

I quickly dialed Edward's number and I heard his phone ringing. Shit, he left his phone here. I fought the urge to snoop through it since I was pissed he snooped through mine. I didn't want to be a hypocrite.

I took a deep breath and grabbed my bag, setting off to look for Edward. I walked outside and it was freezing. Shit. Where could he have gone?

I saw someone who worked on set and I walked up to the girl. "Um, hi. I'm Edward's assistant and I was just wondering, do you know where he went? He left his phone in his trailer and it's kind of an emergency?" I said.

She looked at me and scoffed. "I don't know. I'm not his babysitter" and walked away. What was her problem? What a fucking bitch. I lit up a cigarette and started walking towards the beach. If I was mad, I would want to go to the beach, it's relaxing.

I got to the beach and I didn't see any sign of him on the sand. Well, that's no good. I sat on a bench and smoked my cigarette. When that one was done, I lit another. Where the fuck did he go? And more importantly, what do I tell him when I see him?

I obviously can't tell him that somehow my breakup conversation with Jake turned into an invitation to meet my parents… That would only make the situation worse. I sat there for an hour, hoping Edward would walk by… but there was nothing.

Then two girls were giggling, walking past me. "Oh my God! I can't believe we just met him! He's so sexy! And he said he's filming with _Jonah hill! _Maybe we can double date._" _

Holy fuck! They were talking about Edward. I started following them. "Um… excuse me!" I said as I ran up to them.

"Yeah?" the one girl said.

"Sorry. I just couldn't help but overhear your conversation? Are you talking about Edward Cullen? I heard he's been filming a movie here and I've just been dying to see him in person!" I said.

Please tell me where he is. The one girl started laughing and waved a piece of paper at me. It had a number written on it in Edward's horrible hand writing. The fucking asshole just gave his number to another girl? "Yeah, he's at Venice Whaler."

I didn't even wait for her to finish talking. I just started running down the boardwalk. I found the bar and walked inside, looking around for Edward. I saw him sitting at the bar, talking to some girl with bleach blonde hair and really dark roots. _What the fuck._ I walked up to him and I wanted to punch him in the face.

"Hi." I said half yelling. Edward looked up at me stunned. I counted and he had seven plastic shot glasses in front of him. Lovely. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with my _boyfriend"_ I said icily to the girl.

She made no move to get up, she just stood there looking at me with an 'I smelled a fart face'. Was she deaf? "What don't you understand? Get lost bitch." I said as I positioned myself between her and Edward, shooing her away with my hands.

She stood up "Obviously he isn't into you." She moved around me and walked over to Edward, placing a kiss on his lips. What the fuck! I just stood there and watched them. Edward made no move to push her off.

If he wasn't going to, I was. I grabbed a fistful of her dry, damaged hair and pulled as hard as I could. Ew, her hair felt like straw. She stumbled back, screaming and before I knew it. Someone was carrying me out of the bar as I was screaming at the two of them, like a lunatic. The large man dumped me on the boardwalk "You need to leave now" he said and he stood there, blocking the entrance to the bar.

Is he fucking serious? He wants me to leave my boyfriend in the bar with that skank with the hay hair? I stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do. Should I try to run past him? I could probably crawl between his legs… "Listen, you're a pretty girl. You don't need to fight for some actor's attention. He's had a circle of girls around him all night." His words cut me like a knife.

"That _actor_ is my boyfriend!" I screamed.

He laughed. "Yeah, and I'm dating Beyoncé. Look hun, you need to leave before I have to call the police."

I was stunned. He didn't believe me. "Fine." I wiped the tear that fell down my cheek and started to walk down the boardwalk. Once I was safely out of the bouncer's line of vision, I turned around and parked my ass on a bench that had a view of the front door of the bar. I'll just sit here and wait for that two timing asshole to come out.

Two hours later, I was on the verge of getting hypothermia and I saw Edward stumble out of the bar and thank God, he was alone. He started walking down the boardwalk and I decided not to say anything to him, I just followed him silently, like a fucking stalker. Edward was obviously wasted, the guy was zig-zagging back and forth and every time a girl would yell his name he would do this weird wave and yell "yeah" giving them a rock on sign with his fingers. If I wasn't so furious with him I would have laughed because the whole scene was comical.

He made his way to his trailer and he managed to get inside. I wasn't sure if I should follow him. He didn't even try to come after me after I got thrown out of the bar. I was a ball of nerves. I dug through my purse for a cigarette and I saw I had the keys to the G Wagon. Oh Thank God. I can go sit in the car and turn the heat on.

I made my way to the car and turned the heat on as high as it could go. After the feeling returned to my limbs, i contemplated my next move. Maybe I should just go home? Edward was alone and he obviously didn't care where I was. Maybe he just needed to sleep it off. I was about to pull out of the parking lot when my phone started ringing. It was Edward.

"Hello" I said evenly.

"Where are you" he slurred.

"I should ask you the same thing." I said even though I knew exactly where he was.

"No. You're the one who crusched my heart. Schtomped on it like it was schpider" I heard a thud and I could just picture him, stomping his foot on the ground.

I had to bite my cheek to stop from laughing. "Don't get it twisted, honey. I broke up with Jake" I lied, I was going to do it eventually and I wanted this conversation to be about his infractions, not mine. He was being a major douche bag, as usual. "You're the one who kissed another girl. In front of me, no less. Then gave another girl your phone number and God only knows what else you did because I wasn't there to see. I got kicked out of the bar and _my boyfriend_ didn't even come after me!" I said and lit up another cigarette. I looked in my pack and saw that I had three left. Damn it.

"I'm schorry. I'm such an asschole." He said "Come be witsch me. I love you."

Holy fuck. Did he just tell me he loved me? Before I knew what I was doing, I was out of the G Wagon and running to his trailer…

I threw open the door and saw Edward standing in the middle of the trailer, looking at his phone. "Ischabella?" he said.

"Hi" I said leaning against the door frame.

He walked over to me and kissed me, sloppily. Oh God, he tasted like whiskey. Gross . His tongue was all over the place and it felt like he was trying to eat my face. I pulled back. "If you ever kiss another girl in front of me again, I will take a nine iron to your Range Rover and your balls." I said evenly.

He instinctively covered his balls with his hands and his eyes were wide. "Pleasche don't. I'll never do it again. I promische."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, let's go home." I said pulling his hand as we walked out of the trailer.

"I'm scho schorry" He said coming up behind me. His hands were all over my body.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up to me. But here's a hint, it better sparkle." I said smiling.

We walked to the car in silence. Edward practically fell into the car and I had to buckle his drunken ass in. God, I hate taking care of drunk people. I guess this was karma.

I got in the car and lit a cigarette and Edward made a grab for my pack, I handed him the lighter. He drunkenly lit his cigarette and I was worried for a second that he was going to set his face on fire.

He took a long drag "I quit schmoking."

I smiled. "Sorry for the relapse" I said

He turned to me. "I wasch addicted to cocaine."

My jaw dropped. "What?" I asked. Oh my God! Was he going to tell me about rehab? Why didn't I get him drunk sooner? "Ok…" I said, hoping he would keep talking.

He took another drag of his cigarette. "Can we schtop at In-N-Out Burger?"

I laughed. "Sure Edward."

He started fiddling with the radio and he stopped on a station playing Britney Spears _Hold it Against Me_. I looked over at him and smiled. "You want to listen to Britney?"

"Yesch. If I schaid I want your body nowwww, would you hold it againscht mee" He started singing along with the song and I couldn't help but laugh.

The whole way to In-N-Out burger and the whole way home, Edward drunkenly sang along with the radio. We pulled up to the house and there were no paparazzi. Thank you baby Jesus. I managed to guide Edward into the house and upstairs to bed. He fell onto the bed, fully clothed and I had to take his shoes, pants and shirt off. It was very difficult and I may have broken a sweat. I emptied his pockets and found seven napkins balled up, all with different names and phone numbers on them. Oh hell no. I walked into the bathroom and flushed them down the toilet.

Eventually Edward was in his boxers and under the covers. I was too exhausted to go back downstairs and get pajamas, so I stripped down to my birthday suit and crawled under the covers. Edward curled up against me. "My beautiful Ischabella. I love you." He said into my hair.

Holy fuck! He said it again! Everyone knows drunk words are sober thoughts. Edward loves me!

"I love you too" I whispered.


	19. Chapter 19

**** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER****

*****PLEASE REVIEW!*****

**Sorry to keep you waiting! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

I woke up and saw it was 9 o'clock. Ugh, it's so early! I stretched out and I was so sore. My arms, my shoulders, my abs, my legs, every muscle in my body ached. I even hurt in places that I didn't know existed. Damn surfing…. or was it from sitting outside a bar all night long waiting for my cheating boyfriend to come out? After everything I told Edward about James, I can't believe he went out and _cheated _on me. That son of a bitch. I know he kissed a girl, but God only knows what else he did when I wasn't there. Judging from all the numbers I found in his pocket, he did a lot more than I suspected.

I felt sick. How could he do this to me? I need to make him pay. Hmm, but how? I crawled out of bed and into Edwards's closet, grabbing on of his t-shirts to put on. Mm, it smelled like him. I walked out and looked over at Edward, he was sprawled out with an arm over his head. He looked dead to the world.

Perfect.

I turned on the bedside lamp and carefully removed his arm from his face. He let out a snore and I jumped back. _Shit._ I waited a few minutes and poked his chest to make sure he was still asleep. I got no reaction. Ok, I'm good. I studied Edward's face, it was so fucking perfect. How did he look so good after a night of drinking? It wasn't fair. Maybe if he didn't look so fucking _sexy,_ girls would keep their hands to themselves.

I walked into the bathroom and grabbed my razor. I stood over Edward, contemplating my next move. Shit, he's going to be so pissed if I do this. Should I do this?

YES.

I took a deep breath and shaved off both his eyebrows.

I carefully brushed the hair off his face and stood there admiring my work. He looked like an alien. I had to stifle my laughs so I wouldn't wake him up. Let's see if he can pick up any girls looking like a freak. I frowned, actually he still looked like a frigging male model. There is no doubt in my mind that he'll still be able to get girls. What the hell! Why did he have to be so damn good looking?

Hmm… what else can I do to him? I stood in the bedroom, contemplating my next move.

I could shave his head? Nah, I already shaved his eyebrows.

I could go key his car? Well, I'm not even sure those are his cars, so that's out of the question.

I could put Nair in his shampoo? Yep, I'm defiantly doing that. I made a mental note to buy some Nair today.

I looked around and walked into his closet, starting to dig through his drawers. Aha! I found what I was looking for.

I went downstairs, looking everywhere for what I needed. It took awhile but I eventually found a pair of scissors and ran back upstairs. My kindergarten teacher would kill me if she knew I ran with scissors but obviously whoever made up that rule didn't have a cheating boyfriend. There was an exception to every rule and I'm sure this was it.

I walked back into the closet and closed the door. I pulled out a pair of his briefs and cut the ass out. I did that with every single pair he owned, even the dirty ones.

_That will teach him. _

I cleaned up all the scraps of fabric and threw them out downstairs, hiding them in the bottom of the trash can. Hmm… I still feel like I needed to do something else. But what? I walked back upstairs and sat on the edge of the bed. I saw his cell phone sitting on the nightstand and I got a brilliant idea.

If he wants to give girls his number, why not give it to as many girls as possible? He obviously doesn't value his privacy. I grabbed his cell phone and opened the Twitter app. I had full access to his five million followers. This is just too easy. I started typing away.

Here's my number, so call me maybe. 212-988-8899.

I had to stifle my laughs. I was pleased as punch, now that jerk off will have a chafed ass, a funky looking face and a cell phone that won't stop ringing. I set the ringer to loud and placed it back on his nightstand.

I walked into the bathroom, feeling extremely satisfied, and showered.

When I got out, Edward was still in the same position I left him in and his phone was ringing off the hook. I had to laugh. How was he sleeping through this? Maybe he was awake. I didn't feel like speaking to him just yet, so I quietly walked downstairs and threw on a pink and white sequined bikini, a pair of distressed jean shorts and a blue and white tie dye off the shoulder tee that exposed my stomach if I lifted my arms. I'll have to remember to not bare my stomach, I haven't been doing my Tracy Anderson and I felt like a chubby wubby. I twisted my hair up into a tight bun and walked over to the fridge to look for something to eat.

Hmm… there was a package of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. My favorite! Screw the whole healthy eating thing, I'm too depressed. I am in need of some comfort food. I preheated the oven and put the buns in a pan. I sat at the kitchen island, thinking. I guess Edward and I will have to talk about what happened sometime today but I doubt he'll even want to talk about it, he's probably one step away from dying right now. Plus, he's going to be busy all day… Maybe I should wait until tomorrow?

What am I saying? He deserves to feel like shit and we're going to have a conversation about it, whether he likes it or not. I should probably bring him something to fix his hangover though or else we will get nothing accomplished.

I put the cinnamon buns in the oven and while they were cooking I looked for the bong and weed. I found them in some cubby and quickly packed the bowl. When the food was done, I brought a plate up to Edward along with a bottle of Gatorade and the bong. I put the stuff on the floor and started jumping on the bed. "Wake up sleepy head!" I yelled.

I heard him groan "Please stop. I'm going to throw up." He whined.

That's the point, asshole. His phone started ringing again and I tried to stifle my laughs.

I made sure to yell. "Get up." I poked him on the chest with my foot. "I brought you something." I was still standing over him on the bed and I saw him open an eye and shut it quick. I started jumping again.

"I can't eat right now." He groaned and rolled over. "The studio keeps calling me, I need you to call me in sick."

What was I, his mother? I laughed, the poor guy thinks it's the studio. Boy was he in for a surprise. His phone was constantly ringing. Once it stopped, it started again. _I'm a freaking genius_. "No way. You're a big boy and after the shit you pulled last night, you'll just have to suffer through the day." I yelled.

"Please stop jumping." He whined. "And can you please be quiet? And turn my phone off?"

_Ok bitch_. I made no move to be quieter and I left his phone exactly where it was. "Since you're being such an asshole, I'll take the bong back downstairs."

His eyes snapped open and he grabbed my shins. I fell on top of him. "You are amazing, woman" he planted a kiss on my forehead. His breath reeked of alcohol, I fought the urge to hurl and I wasn't even the hung over one. Plus, I wasn't in the mood for him to be all cute with me. I wanted to be mad at him, at least until I got my point across. I crawled off of him. "I know." I waited for him to sit up and handed him the bong and a lighter.

We passed the bong between us and once it was beat, we dug into the cinnamon rolls. Holy macaroni, these were amazing. His phone started ringing again and he grabbed it. "Who the fuck keeps calling me? My phone hasn't stopped ringing for the last hour." he said as he looked at his phone. I snickered.

"Shit, I can't press any buttons, it's like its overworking or something. Why are so many people calling me? I don't even know these numbers" He passed me his phone and I tried to give my best surprised face. His phone was literally on overdrive from all the calls and text messages coming in. I just shrugged my shoulders and tossed it on to the bed, letting it ring. I knew the noise must be driving Edward crazy.

"What the fuck is going on?" he said as he stared wide eyed at the phone.

"Maybe you shouldn't have given your phone number to a bunch of girls last night." I said tartly and took a bite of cinnamon roll.

He snapped his head up and it looked like he tried to knit his eyebrows together, it was hard to tell. I couldn't help but crack up, he looked like an extra terrestrial. I stuck out my pointer finger "ET phone homeeee" I said and fell back onto the bed, laughing.

Edward sounded confused. "What?"

Shit. I couldn't give it away. I sat back up, trying to compose myself. "I said, what time do you have to be on set today?" I was trying to stifle my laughs but my body kept shaking.

He shoved an entire cinnamon bun into his mouth. "At one, what time is it?" He asked with his mouth full. That was attractive. I looked at the clock, "it's eleven." I guess we had time to discuss this. "So, do you remember what happened last night?"

He took a big gulp of Gatorade and passed the bottle to me. Thank God, the cinnamon buns were like cement in my dry mouth. "Vaguely" he said.

I took a sip. "Tell me what you remember." Rage was bubbling through my veins like soda and I fought the urge to dump the Gatorade all over his head, mostly because I was too lazy to get up and get another drink. This was odd, I've never been high and mad at the same time before… I didn't think it was possible.

He looked uncomfortable. "Um, I remember going to the bar and uh, you showing up and well, you know. After that, it's all a blur."

Does he think just because he doesn't remember he's off the hook? Yeah right. "So, what do you have to say for yourself?" I asked.

He looked pissed. "What do _I have to say?_ I asked you to do one fucking thing and you couldn't even do that." He was practically yelling at me.

Whoa, why is he mad at me? Wait a minute. Shouldn't this be the other way around? Was I just paranoid? Shit, I shouldn't have smoked. He started pacing around the room. Ok, maybe he is mad.

For some unknown reason, I started uncontrollably laughing. Maybe it was nerves. If he's angry with me now, what is he going to do when he sees what I did to him? He's going to be sooooo mad! I started laughing even harder.

Once I regained my composure, I sat up on my knees. "Edward, if you wouldn't have run out on me, you would have heard that I broke up with Jake." That was total bullshit but whatever. "I went to look for you last night to tell you, but obviously you would have rather made out with some inbred hooker than talk to me." I was so pissed I didn't even feel bad about skewing the truth like this. Also, I wasn't about to let him blame me for him cheating. I wasn't going to be one of those women.

He sat down on the bed next to me and rested his elbows on his knees. "Really? You broke up with him?" He sounded like a little boy.

I leaned back on my heels and started rubbing his back, his body was just so tempting I couldn't keep my hands off him. "Yeah."

He looked over at me and ran his thumb over my cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm a jealous fucking idiot."

I'll say he's a fucking idiot. I felt so vulnerable, my eyes started to water. I couldn't believe I was crying! A tear slipped out and I quickly wiped it away. I didn't want him to see me cry, I needed to act tough. "Edward, you have to stop deliberately trying to hurt me when something doesn't go your way. It's not fair."

He looked up at me and his face looked so pained. He wiped away one of my tears with his thumb. Shit, there goes my bravado. "I'm sorry Bella. I don't know what to tell you except that it will never happen again."

I snorted. "You say that a lot." I wiped away another tear.

He pulled me into his chest and just held me there. He was stroking my hair. "I'm going to make it up to you."

I wanted to believe him but somewhere in my brain, I knew that this wouldn't be the last time I cried because Edward hurt me. "I won't hold my breath" I muttered.

He grabbed my chin and started placing kisses all over my face and neck. How could he think I wanted to have sex with him after he cheated on me? Is he delusional? I wanted to give him a swift kick in the cojones, not suck on them. I pushed him back and removed my body from his suffocating grasp. "Get real." I said and walked into the bathroom.

I was brushing my teeth and he wrapped his arms around my waist, slipping his hands under my shirt and he started rubbing my stomach. The gesture only made me feel fat, maybe I shouldn't have ate three cinnamon buns. Damn it! Edward kissed my exposed shoulder. Was he really trying to have sex right now? Couldn't this guy take the hint already? I'm not into it! He looked at me in the mirror "Bella, I'm sorry. I should have never kissed that girl and I shouldn't have let you get kicked out of the bar. I should have just talked to you about it, like an adult. I wish I could take it all back, but I promise you it will never happen again." he said.

I just stood there, stock still, not hearing a word he said. How did he not notice yet? He's looking in the frigging mirror! "Uh huh." I mumbled.

"Want to shower with me?" I'm assuming he attempted to wiggle his eyebrows because his forehead moved, but it was hard to tell. He was so weird looking and I started laughing, again.

He looked confused. "What is so freaking funny?"

I couldn't tell him. He had to notice it on his own. "I already showered." I explained.

He let out a puff of air. "So, shower again." He spun me around and placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. Did he not hear a word I just said? Didn't I just say that I had no desire to sleep with him? Or did I not say that out loud? I can't remember. Damn, I definitely shouldn't have smoked.

"I'll take a rain check." I said as I rubbed a hand down his chest. "Now, shoo. You have to be on set soon." I pushed him away and he walked over towards the large glass shower. He stripped off his boxers and stepped under the stream of water. I watched him the whole time through the mirror, I felt the pressure starting to build deep below my stomach. That boy is fine, eyebrows or no eyebrows. I quickly erased the thoughts from my mind, I needed to be strong!

I eyed his boxers on the floor. Hmm, I wonder if I should quickly cut the ass out of those too. Nah, it's too risky, he could catch me in the act.

I was just about to finish my makeup as Edward walked out of the shower. I had to admire his naked body. God, he looked like a Greek God, even without eyebrows.

He dried his body off and I was putting on my mascara. He wrapped a towel around his waist and started brushing his teeth, looking in the mirror. I can't believe he didn't notice yet! Was he blind?

"WHAT THE FUCK?" He yelled.

Bingo.

"What?" I turned to him acting confused.

He was touching his face frantically. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY EYEBROWS!" He turned to look at me, his panic was displayed all over his beautiful face.

"Huh" I turned back to the mirror and added a touch more mascara.

"DID YOU DO THIS?" He shrieked.

"Yep" I said accentuating the p. I was examining my makeup in the mirror.

"WHAT? WHY!" He was practically yelling at me.

Please, like he didn't know why. I shrugged a shoulder. "Next time, don't kiss a girl in front of me." I threw my mascara into my bag and stomped out of the bathroom.

"Bella!" he walked out after me and grabbed my elbow. "What the fuck? _You shaved off my eyebrows_? Did it occur to you that I might need them because I'm in the middle of filming a fucking movie?" His voice was laced with contempt.

Please, he doesn't have the right to be mad. "_Did it occur to you last night that you had a girlfriend?_ What, did you think you could just fuck around with a bunch of skanks and I wouldn't do anything about it? You know that's not my style, you have a whole file on it." I yanked my elbow from his arm. "And don't be such a little bitch, they can CGI them in." I hissed.

He just stood there, looking confused. "You might want to get dressed, it's almost noon." I said and walked out of the room. I stood outside the door to see how long it would take him to notice part three of my revenge. I started counting in my head.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

"WHAT THE FUCK BELLA!"

I had to cup my hand over my mouth to stop my laughing. I stood there awhile until my laughter subsided and walked into the room "Yeah?" I sat on the bed.

"YOU CUT MY FUCKING UNDERWEAR TOO?" He was holding a pair in his fist and he was completely, gloriously naked. Hot damn.

I started tapping my finger on my lip. "Yeah, I guess I did." I said.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!" he shouted.

What is wrong with me? Did he see himself recently? He looked so ridiculous standing there I couldn't help but laugh. I was laughing so hard, I couldn't breathe. I was holding onto my stomach and fell back onto the bed. I was gasping for air and I may have snorted a couple of times. Whatever.

Edward crawled on top of me, seeing his eyebrow-less face only made me laugh harder.

"You think this is funny, Miss Swan?" His tone was menacing.

I simply nodded and kept giggling.

He kissed me hard, and bit my bottom lip so roughly tears sprung to my eyes. Fuck that was hot. He pulled back slightly but I could still feel his hot breath on me. "Seeing as we have to leave now, I'll punish you for this later." He cupped my vagina, caressing me over my shorts and I gasped.

Oh my God. I wanted him to punish me now. Forget the whole no sex thing, I was so turned on. He moved away from me and I tried to wrap my arms and legs around him but he was too quick.

He chuckled and walked back into the closet. "I'll need you to get me some new underwear today" he said as he tossed a pair over his shoulder. They landed on my head, gross, I hope these were clean. I tossed them onto the floor, if he thinks I'm buying him new underwear, he is a fool. "And change my phone number." He called out.

Huh, I wonder how long it will take him to figure out I tweeted his phone number? I'll give it a day.

In no time, Edward was dressed and we were on our way to Venice. I plugged in my IPhone and put on Britney Spears, turning the music up really loud.

"Do we really have to listen to this? Haven't I been punished enough?" He turned the music down and slid on his Ray Bans. It disguised the fact he didn't have eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. "You seemed to like Britney last night" I said and turned the music back up. I hope he took the hint that this was not up for discussion.

Once we got to Venice, Edward stalked off to his trailer and I went to the boardwalk to hang out before my surfing lesson. I sat on the beach and people watched. I was so distracted, I couldn't do much else. My mind wandered to what Edward told me last night. He said he loved me but I was starting to wonder if he even knew what he was saying at the time. I hope he wasn't so drunk he was talking out of his ass but I was leaning towards the fact that he was.

When you love someone, you don't do things to spite them…

After what James did to me, I said I would never stay with a man who cheated on me, but the circumstances with Edward were different? _Right?_ Edward only cheated on me because I didn't break up with Jake… so technically, I was cheating on him too. _Right?_

God, what do I do? The thought of breaking up with Edward started to make me panic, I couldn't imagine not being with him, _I loved him. _But things with him are just so complicated, _all the time_. Is this how it's supposed to be when you love someone?

I don't think it is…

I started drawing pictures in the sand. I knew I wouldn't be able to trust Edward and how can I stay in this relationship if there is no trust? How can I trust him with my heart?

I can't…

I was on the verge of tears. What the hell do I do? I was so lost… I can't think about this now, I was on the verge of having a serious meltdown and I didn't want it to happen in public. I'll have to sort this all out when I'm back in New York. It will be much easier to think about my situation when I'm not with Edward, being near him just clouds my judgment.

I started digging my feet in the sand…

And what the fuck am I going to do about Jake? I have to end this with him but should I take him to meet my parents and then break up with him? Or should I break up with him first and not let him meet my parents? I did tell my mom I would invite him… Ugh! No, he probably shouldn't come meet my parents. What if Rosalie brings Emmett and it gets back to Edward? He would without a doubt go out and sleep with some skeez ball hoe.

And now we're back to Edward… Things have come full circle. Why does everything have to be so complicated?

A little while longer, I started my surfing lesson with Tyler and I managed to do even worse than I did yesterday. Probably because my body was so freaking achy, I moved at the speed of an 80 year old man and I just wasn't feeling it, I was too depressed.

After my lesson, I laid out on the beach for the rest of the day and for once, I was happy to be alone. Once it got chilly, I took the G Wagon and went to a Verizon store to get the asshole a new phone number. It turns out his phone crashed because it was so overwhelmed by the incoming calls and text messages that he needed to buy a new phone. I was secretly pleased he had to pay full price for the new IPhone. On my way home, I decided not to get him new underwear. I'll just say I forgot.

The next two days were eerily similar, Edward and I drove to Venice and I laid out on the beach while he was on set. There was no more talk of the incident, which I wasn't sure if I was happy about it or sad.

By the time Thursday came around, I was more than ready to head back to New York and see my friends. Edward and I were walking on eggshells around each other and I was in need of some strong drinks and dancing. It's the perfect remedy for heartbreak.

As Edward drove me to LAX, the tension between us was so thick you could cut it with a knife. "So, is there any way I can convince you to come back next week?" He said as he rubbed his thumbs over my knuckles.

Is he insane? I blew out a puff of air to get my bangs out of my eyes. I looked over at him skeptically. "Maybe I can come back in a week." It was an empty promise because I had no intentions of coming back until May but I didn't want to fight. We were already in a weird place, I didn't need to rock the boat any further.

"Really?" he turned to me and sounded hopeful.

I rolled my eyes and I was glad I was hidden behind my sunglasses. I needed to change the subject. "So, have you talked to Emmett lately?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" he sounded confused.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm just curious about him and Ro, I guess."

He nodded his head "Ah. Well he hasn't voiced any complaints, so that's a good sign."

Well, isn't that just special, let's hear it for the happy couple. I wanted to barf. I wonder if Edward complains to Emmett about me? Hmm, I hope Rosalie is going to my parents tomorrow and if she does, I hope she brings Emmett along. It was for purely selfish reasons but I need to pry some information about Edward out of him. Mainly, should I trust the bastard?

We pulled up to my terminal and Edward parked the car by the curb. He got my bags out of the back and pulled me into a tight hug, we quickly kissed and I took off into the airport. Why was this so awkward?

I was passing the time before my flight and I was in a store looking for some candy, when I saw the cover of Us Weekly. _Holy shit_. I picked up the magazine and studied the picture on the cover. It was Edward and I on the beach. I had on my zebra bikini, my legs wrapped around his waist while he was holding me up by my ass and we were in the midst of kissing. What the hell, I didn't even know our picture was being taken. _It's On! _The cover said in big bold letters.

Well, at least I look skinny.

I flipped through the magazine until I found the spread about Edward and me. I didn't even bother to read the article, it was probably all bullshit anyway, I was too taken aback by the pictures. There was one where I was laying on top of Edward, our faces were only inches apart and we were both smiling like we were the happiest people on the planet. The next was a picture of when he was straddling me, no doubt during his tickle attack, and he just looked so carefree and happy. The last was us holding hands, walking down the boardwalk. Looking at these pictures made my eyes water. We looked like a couple who was happy and in love and in that little moment, I guess we were. It's hard to believe it was only four days ago…I suddenly cherished these pictures more than anything.

I grabbed every copy of Us Weekly and quickly paid for the magazines and a bag of Swedish Fish, walking towards my gate.

While I was sitting at the gate waiting to board my flight, I was flipping through the magazine and I saw there was another page of the article that I didn't see before, they were about our exes. There were two small pictures and I suddenly had the urge to scream.

_WHAT THE HELL!_ There was a picture of Jake and Lauren 'turtle face' Newton holding hands walking down the street, gazing all lovingly at each other. I KNEW IT! He's been dating Lauren this whole time! _What a frigging liar_! I was so conflicted, I couldn't tell if I was enraged or happy about them being together because this actually is great news but it also means he lied directly to my face…

After a few minutes of deliberating, I decided that Jake is definitely an asshole but I'm happy that he's with Lauren. They deserve each other. Plus, now he and I don't need to have a breakup conversation since he's clearly dating someone else and I guess this means he's definitely not coming to meet my parents! The situation resolved itself, this is fantastic! Now, if only the other problems in my life would work themselves out that easily.

I quickly gazed over the other picture and I could have cared less about it. The picture was of Tanya and Shia LaBouf, kissing outside. I felt kind of sorry for her. What a downgrade, I wonder if that was staged?

I stuffed the magazines in my bag and pulled out my IPad. After watching half an episode of True Blood, I was comfortably seated in first class and ready for takeoff. As soon as we were in the air, I was out like a light and I didn't wake up until the flight attendant told me we were about to land. I looked at the time and it was midnight. Ugh, I was so exhausted, I hated the time change coming back to New York.

I sluggishly got my luggage and a taxi back to my building, I have never wanted to be in my bed so badly. I walked in the apartment and I made sure to be quite so I didn't wake Angela up, even though I wanted to talk to her about as much as I wanted to go to sleep. I brought my luggage in my room and was asleep before my head hit the pillow, in all my clothes.

I woke up at ten to the bright sun shining in my room. Damn, I was so use to sleeping in a dark cave, it was really annoying to be bombarded by light in the morning. I was about to roll over and go back to sleep when I remembered I was going home today! I was so excited to see my mom, maybe she could give me some advice about Edward! I shot out of bed and jumped into the shower.

Once I was out, I quickly blew out my hair and flat ironed the ends. I added some light makeup and put on a black and white tie dye striped maxi dress and I grabbed a black three quarter knit sweater. I threw on a pair of black thong sandals. I quickly rifled through my bags and found a clean pair of pajamas and another outfit for tomorrow and pulled out an overnight bag from my closet, throwing a toothbrush and my makeup bag inside as well. I added a few more things and once I made sure I had everything, I grabbed my purse and headed out.

I took the subway to Port Authority and took a bus to Woodcliff Lake. I was happy to see my Mom's black Nissan Maxima parked at the bus station. I practically ran to the car.

"Ma!" I jumped into the car and gave her a huge hug. "I've missed you!"

She squeezed me tight "Hi baby! Let me look at you!" she held me by my shoulders as her eyes scanned over me. She pulled me into another hug. "You look beautiful honey, but you need to eat." She pinched my side. "You're looking a little waifish." She smiled at me and it didn't meet her eyes. Something was off about her face but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Wait a minute! "Wrinkle your forehead!" I screeched. My mother's cheeks turned bright red and she shifted the car into drive and pulled out into the street. Oh my God! "You got Botox!" I was giggling as pointed my finger at her. No fair!

She waved her hand at me. "It's not a big deal. I just wanted to get rid of some of my crow's feet." She said. I saw her hand reach for something from the pocket on the side of the door and my heart almost stopped when she pulled out the Us Weekly cover. I didn't even think about what would happen if she saw it. She tossed it on my lap. "So, why didn't you tell me you were dating Edward Cullen!" She was squealing like a thirteen year old girl.

I let out a sigh. I can't believe she wasn't mad that I flew across the country without telling her or that the last time I talked to her I was dating a different guy. "I don't know! It just kind of happened." I had the biggest smile on my face and I didn't even try to hide it.

"So, tell me everything. How long have you two been together? What's he like? Is he treating you good?" My stomach dropped, he's an asshole and no, he's not treating me good. We pulled up to our house and I was instantly thankful my Dad was still at work, I wasn't ready to deal with that storm yet. We climbed out of the car and I wrapped my arm around her waist. I just wanted her to comfort me and make me a Nutella, marshmallow fluff and peanut butter panini like she use to when I had boy problems.

First, I needed to cover my ass. "Um, well you can't tell anyone this, ok! Not even Aunt Vic!" I said looking at her and she nodded her head vigorously. I missed gabbing with my mom like this. We walked into the living room and sat on the couch facing each other. "Well we've been dating since I went to LA in February!" I didn't even recognize my own voice.

She swatted my arm. "Bella! How could you not tell me this! You use to tell me everything." She said and I could tell by her tone she was disappointed. I studied her face for a moment to try to read her expression. It didn't give away much but I saw the hurt in her eyes. I felt so guilty and I grabbed her hand giving it a squeeze. "I wanted to tell you Ma, I really did." I let out a sigh "but I didn't tell anyone. I thought maybe if I said it out loud I would jinx it or something." I gave her a small smile.

She started smoothing out her hair. "I understand. It's just, I'm really worried about you" she said and she pulled me into a hug.

What does that mean? She's worried about me? Why? That totally caught me off guard. I thought she would be thrilled about this news! She's always telling me I need a boyfriend. I swallowed hard. "What are you worried about?" I asked as I pulled away.

She let out a puff of air. "I think we need some wine for this." She stood up and walked out of the room and I could hear her buzzing away in the kitchen. I looked at my phone and saw it was only 1:30. Damn, that's a little early to start drinking, even for me but if I'm going to spill my guts, I'm going to need some liquid courage. I saw I had a text message from Jake and Edward. _How funny_. I read Jake's first.

You and Cullen? You're such a fucking liar.

Who does he think he is? He's such a hypocrite. He's just as much of a liar as I am since he was screwing around with Lauren the whole time! How annoying!

I could say the exact same thing about you. Hope you two are very happy together, now fuck off.

I was so aggravated, I hit send before I could change my mind. I read the next text from Edward.

I was just on twitter and I saw YOU TWEETED MY PHONE NUMBER? ARE YOU CRAZY?

Finally! I was beginning to wonder if he would ever figure it out. I turned off my phone and threw it back in the bag, I didn't want to deal with that whole situation right now.

My mom came back into the living room with two glasses of white wine, filled to the brim. Shit, this wasn't a good sign, she passed one to me and sat down. "Now, don't take this the wrong way because I'm really happy you're seeing someone" she paused to take a sip of her wine.

My stomach was in knots. Could she tell Edward was treating me horribly?

"But, do you really think it's a good idea to be dating your boss? You're putting all your eggs in one basket. What are you going to do when you guys break up?" She sounded genuinely concerned.

Ok, she's worried about me losing my job? I didn't even think about being jobless if Edward and I broke up, damn it. I was more concerned about how I would survive emotionally without him. Wait a minute, why didn't she think we could make things work! I instantly went on the defense. "Who says we're going to break up!" My voice was a little higher than usual and I took a big gulp of wine.

She started rubbing my arm. "I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, but honey, didn't you two talk about that before you started dating? And look at what your life has turned into." She held up the magazine. "Employers aren't going to take you seriously when you're constantly photographed outside of nightclubs three sheets to the wind and being felt up in public. Mi cara, no one is going to want to hire you."

Oh my God. My face felt like it was on fire. She saw all the photographs from the Post? Why didn't she say anything sooner? I just sat there, opened mouthed, I had so many thoughts swimming through my mind. Edward and I never talked about mixing our business and personal lives, is that unusual? Would other people discuss that? I thought hard. Yeah, they probably would. Shit, I took a gulp of wine. I still couldn't bear the thought of not being with Edward but what _would I do_ if we broke up? Die, probably. I took another huge gulp of wine. I would be jobless and boyfriendless, my life would have no meaning. Then it hit me, I would never break up with Edward… no matter what he did to me, I would stay with him. The thought made me sick.

I couldn't think like this anymore, I was about to cry. So, I asked the most pressing question first. "Did Dad see the pictures too?"

She rolled her eyes and let out a half laugh. "No, I've been doing my best to keep them hidden from your father but it's very hard when you're on the cover of a tabloid every week. One day he's going to see them and it's not going to be good for you or Edward Cullen."

I took another big gulp of wine. My dad is going to lose his shit. "Ok" I said pausing to collect my thoughts. What does she want me to do about this? I refuse to end things with Edward, so does she want me to get a different job? Or stop going out in public with him? I was so confused. "I get what you're saying but I'm not going to break up with Edward, I really like him. So, should I get a new job?"

She rubbed my arm. "Honey, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. You're a grown woman and you can do whatever you please. Just think about your situation."

Well, that didn't help much. Think about what? What does she want me to do? On one hand she's telling me it's not a good idea to date my boss than the next minute she's telling me to do what I want. This is so confusing! I took another gulp of wine and looked at my glass. It was almost empty, shoot, I have to drive soon. Whatever, I drained the rest of my glass.

"So, I take it you and Jake are done." She cocked her head to the side.

_Obviously._ Where do I even begin with that whole mess? I would definitely need some more wine if I was about to tell my mother that situation but I couldn't drink anymore without getting a DUI. Which, I doubt my PBA card would get me out of it. I tried to simplify it as best as possible. "Yeah, I guess we just didn't click." I said. Actually, we clicked in the sack, just not in any other way.

She seemed to believe my answer and we talked no more of Edward Cullen, Jacob Black or my new found stardom, we just sat and gossiped like two old biddies until I had to leave for my doctor's appointment. I walked out of the house and I felt an odd sense of déjà vu getting into my white Altima, I really missed Yolanda. I drove to the doctors blasting house music, still confused on what my mom was trying to tell me.

I went to the doctor and after waiting for forty minutes, seriously what was the hold up? I finally saw the Gyno and had that dreadfully, awkward conversation, got my Depo-shot and was on my way back home. Thankfully, I was good to go for another three months. But who knows if I'd even need it.

I pulled up at my house and saw a familiar group of cars, including a black Cayenne. Yes! Emmett was here! I really wanted to talk to him about Edward. I hurried inside and as soon as I walked through the door I was literally dragged upstairs by Rosalie. She shoved me into my childhood bedroom and shut the door. It looked exactly the same as I left it. Teal walls, zebra throw rug, white lacquered furniture. It was the only room in the house that was the same.

Rosalie's voice snapped me out of my nostalgia. "What the hell, Bella?" she looked like a crazy woman. "You're with Edward? After everything he did to you?" She sounded furious.

I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my hair. "Everything that happened was a big misunderstanding." I couldn't meet her in the eye, she didn't even know about the most recent stuff, so I stood there staring at an old 'NSYNC poster. I could still see the faint lip gloss stain where I would kiss Chris Kirkpatrick every night before bed. God, I was such a loser!

She shook her head. "Well then, just be more cautious of your surroundings, not a day goes by where you're not in the press and it's really hurting your reputation."

My head snapped up. My reputation? Is that what my mom was getting at? I was about to ask her the question when a knock on the door interrupted me.

"Come in" Rosalie said, shooting me a warning glance. I guess this conversation wasn't done yet.

Emmett poked his head through the door. "Hey, I was wondering where you two snuck off to." Emmett started looking around the room and cracked up "Bella, is this your bedroom? Edward would love to see this." His hand dug in his pocket and I saw him take out his phone. Oh no.

I rolled my eyes. "Well hello to you too." I looked around the room and I was a little self conscious of my old bedroom. Holy shit, I defiantly have to take down all the old pictures of me, I looked so freaking hideous. There was no way was Emmett was going to send a picture of my room to Edward, _talk about embarrassing_. "The only picture you're taking is a mental one" I muttered and started to usher them both out of my room. "Just be careful." Rosalie whispered in my ear.

I was getting really sick of people telling me to be careful. I was an adult and I can make my own decisions. So why doesn't everyone think I can make the right ones? The three of us wandered downstairs and I immediately poured myself a large glass of wine.

The evening went slow, mostly due to the fact that I was extremely preoccupied with all the thoughts running through my head. Everyone was sitting outside, talking around the chiminea when I walked inside to get a refill of my wine. I was pretty buzzed and I was almost about to call Edward. I heard the sliding door open and I saw Emmett walk in, sans Rosalie. _Thank God!_ I filled my glass of wine "I need to talk to you" I said.

Emmett looked around. "What's up girl?" he said and went into the fridge for a beer. Once he had a fresh one, I grabbed his arm and dragged him upstairs to my bedroom. I didn't need anyone overhearing this conversation.

Emmett and I sat down on my bed, I felt kind of odd, he was the only guy besides James that had been in here. "What the fuck is wrong with your brother?" I blurted out.

Emmett took a long pull of his beer and laughed. "How long do you have?" He said shaking his head back and forth. "But, I'm guessing this is about what went down this weekend." He looked embarrassed.

Wait, shouldn't I be the one who's embarrassed? I rolled my eyes. "He's a fucking jackass and I really don't know what to do about him." I said taking a sip of my wine. "I really like him. A lot. And I feel like I'm in way over my head. He treats me horribly and I don't do anything about it. And maybe he knows it too, that's why he does what he does." I said matter of fact. Maybe it was the wine but it felt good to talk about this with someone who knows Edward.

He let out a puff of air. "Well, I heard that you did do something about it." He laughed. "Which, good for you by the way." He took a big pull of his drink. "Listen, Edward is a dumbass, he does things without thinking and then it eats him up inside. He's always been like that, act first, think later. But he was really upset about what he did to you and he knows things between you two aren't right. He called me freaking out about it, babbling about how he blew it."

I sighed, he talked to Emmett about it? "Well, that doesn't change the fact that he did it" I said sulking.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Bella, I know it's probably not what you want to hear but do you think you could just move past the whole cheating thing? You're the first girl Edward really cares about. He needs someone to stand up to him and you do it without even realizing it."

What is he talking about? I don't challenge Edward in any way. He does what he wants and I follow him around like a star struck teenager. "Uh, what planet are you on?" I said and took a huge gulp of wine.

He laughed. "I swear, you're just as dense as Edward, you two are more alike than you think."

I sat there staring at him. What was he talking about?

"Look, any girl that my brother asked out would drop everything to date him. What did you do? You said you wouldn't date him without dating another guy at the same time. Edward wants you to stay in Los Angeles with him, you come back to New York as soon as you get the chance. Edward cheats on you, you retaliate. You aren't like other girls and for the first time in his life, Edward isn't the one who's in control. He's insecure and unsure of what to do. So he lashes out to get your attention."

My mouth felt like it was sitting on the bed. I didn't realize I was defying Edward? And he felt insecure? I felt like the insecure one. I was so stunned. "Oh."

Emmett laughed and took another pull of his beer. "Look, I think the best thing for you two, is to talk. Just tell him how you feel because he gets the impression that you don't really care about him as much as he cares about you."

How would he get that impression? Was he dumb? "When he was drunk, he told me he loved me." I said looking down at my hands. I needed to know if it was true.

Emmett took a long pull of his beer. "Drunk words are sober thoughts kid." He said giving me a huge smile.

I was ecstatic. "You think?" I asked just to be sure.

He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Call him and ask. You won't be disappointed." He lightly slapped my shoulder and walked out of the room. I sat on my bed thinking… Edward loves me? Hm… I was too nervous to call him now, so I walked downstairs. It was rude of me to keep my guests waiting. Hah.

About an hour later, everyone was leaving. I said my goodbyes and after chit chatting with my parents for a little bit longer, I retreated up to my bedroom. I turned on my phone and took a deep breath, I have to do it while I have the courage. I dialed Edwards's new number.

"Hello" he sounded groggy.

"Hi! I'm sorry, I must have woken you up… I'll just call you tomorrow…" I said, I was so nervous, I would do anything to put off this conversation.

"No" He sounded more alert. "I'm awake. How are you?"

"Um.. I'm good. How are you?"

"Uh, I'm ok…" he said.

"So… what's new?" I asked. This was so awkward.

He laughed. "Nothing new here. Did you have a good time with your family?"

"Yep. I actually talked to Emmett for awhile." I said nervously.

"Oh." He said.

I blew out a puff of air and started pulling at a loose thread on my comforter. "Yeah, he said some interesting stuff… "

"Like what?"

"Um, like that I should tell you how I feel about you."

There was a long pause. "How do you feel Bella?" He sounded as nervous as I did.

"Well." I paused. It was now or never. But what if he doesn't say it back? I just needed to tell him. "I love you" I blurted out.

The line was silent for a minute. "I already knew that." I could tell by his tone he had that cocky smile on his face. I wanted to slap it off. There is no way he remembered me saying it to him Sunday night… Could he?

"How?" I gave him my best annoyed voice.

"You talk in your sleep" he laughed.

OH MY GOD. Everyone always told me I talked in my sleep but I didn't think I would confess my love for Edward! This was so embarrassing. I wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. "Oh." I said.

I heard him laugh. "Well there's something I want to tell you too." He sounded more serious.

My heart was racing. "Spit it out!" I said hastily.

"I love you too." He said.

I could have died I was so freaking happy! I needed to play it cool. "I know." I said copying his tone from earlier.

"How?" He sounded bewildered.

"You told me when you were drunk." I was smiling from ear to ear.

He laughed. "Touché Miss Swan."

I laughed.

"So, I know I really messed up, many times. But are we ok?" He sounded nervous again.

I leaned back against my headboard. "I think we're better than ok."

He laughed. "Good. I really miss you."

"I miss you too." I said. I knew there were other things we needed to discuss, so we might as well. "Um, ok, so now what do we do about our business relationship?" I asked.

He was quiet for a minute. "What do you mean?"

I blew the bangs out of my eyes. "Well, isn't this going to get complicated? Me being your assistant and girlfriend?"

"Um, no? Unless, are you uncomfortable with it?"

After what Rosalie and my mom said, I was starting to be uncomfortable with it but things were good, I didn't want to pick a fight. "No. I was just wondering…" I said.

He laughed. "We'll make it work. Ok baby?"

"Ok" I said.

We talked a little bit longer and I was happy that everything seemed good between us. It was such a sigh of relief. We hung up and I stripped out of my clothes and put on my pajamas.

As I lie in bed, I thought of what my mom and Rosalie said earlier. Maybe I do need to start worrying about my reputation… but how? Somewhere during this thought process, I drifted off into a restless sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

******* ALL CHARACTERS AND ALL THINGS TWILIGHT BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER***

******** PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW HOW I'M DOING!****

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**Chapter 20**

I woke up at one o'clock in the afternoon. I was oddly confused when I opened my eyes and I was in my childhood bedroom, I felt like a nomad waking up in a different place three days in a row. I flipped off the covers and reached for my phone. I had a text from Angela.

B! Let's go out tonight! Can't wait 2 see u!

I smiled, I couldn't wait to see Angela and celebrate the fact that Edward loves me! Ah! This is the most fantastic day ever!

We have much to celebrate! Let's get wild. Miss you!

I walked downstairs and found my mom watching Food Network in the kitchen. "Hey lady." I gave her a kiss on the cheek as I walked past her to the fridge. I poured myself a glass of orange juice.

"Finally! You're up!" I slid in the seat across from where my mom was sitting. "I thought we could do something fun today before you have to leave!" She got up and started flitting around the kitchen. "Do you want scrambled eggs? An English muffin? Some cereal?" She started playing with my hair, geeze, she's too much to deal with in the morning.

I held up my glass "I'm fine with orange juice. What do you want to do today?" I said taking a sip.

"Well, I want to do a little shopping. Maybe go to the Palisades mall?" She was bouncing up and down "then maybe we can go grab lunch in Nyack, they have a bunch of cute little cafés."

I smiled, I was totally up for a day of shopping. "Sounds perfect Mom!" I finished my juice while she recalled every last detail from last night and we both retreated to go get ready. An hour and a half later, I was showered, made up and ready to hit the town. We piled into my mom's Maxima and took off towards the mall.

After copious amounts of shopping, I got some new dresses, some new bikinis and a ton of new makeup from Sephora. My mom and I took off towards Nyack and sat at a little café to have a late lunch.

"So, you and Emmett disappeared for a while last night. Were you two talking about Edward?" How does she always hit the nail on the head? She eyed me suspiciously and I ducked my head to hide the blush that spread across my cheeks. I was beginning to wonder when she was going to ask me about Edward again.

"Um, yeah."

"And" she motioned her hand for me to keep talking.

I thought about if I should tell her the truth or skew it. Hmm, I was sick of lying, especially to my mom… I took a large gulp of my lemonade, I wish there was some vodka in here. It would make this conversation a whole lot easier, especially if she is going to voice her negative opinions about our relationship again. Maybe I shouldn't tell her? No, I have to. Edward and I love each other and she has to come to terms with it! "It's just Edward doesn't really like to share things about himself. So, it's extremely frustrating and kind of hard to deal with sometimes." I started fiddling with my hair. It was the best description I could give about our relationship without giving away too much. I did still have the NDA to worry about, if it still even applied.

"Well, that sounds a lot like your father." My mom laughed and brushed her short hair off her face.

Was this one of her airhead ideas? In what sense was Edward like my father? None that I could think of… So, what was she talking about?

"Listen honey, all men are the same." She put her hand over mine "And I have been happily married for twenty five years, so I know a few things about what make men tick." She tilted her head to the side and gave me a smug smile.

I rolled my eyes, this should be good. I took a long pull of my lemonade. "Do you, now?" I said trying to hide the amusement from my voice.

She smiled and waved her hand. "They're simple. What they say is what they mean. They don't want to hear us complain, so don't vent about all your problems, save those for Angela." She leaned into the table and motioned for me to lean in closer. "And this is the most important piece of information. You have to satisfy _all_ his needs." The way she said all made me choke on my lemonade.

_Oh. My. God._ Was my mom just telling me what I think she was telling me? I was speechless. "Uh…." The last thing I wanted to know was what my parents did behind closed doors. I shuddered at the thought.

She waved her hand "Don't be such a prude, Bella. Sex is a normal part of life and you're not a little girl anymore, I know you're doing it." She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

_Did she just say doing it_? What was happening? I wanted to stick my fingers in my ears and go LA LA LA. There was NO REASON we needed to talk about our sex lives, EVER. "I… um…._Mom!_" I hope she caught from my tone that my sex life wasn't up for discussion.

She rolled her eyes. "Look all I'm saying is, you need to keep things fresh. Sexy lingerie, a little roll play, some toys, you're father really likes using his handcuffs..."

Ok, disgusting! "Enough!" I held my hands up. I couldn't hear this anymore. Who does she think she is, Dr. Ruth? There is not enough alcohol in the world to cope with what I just heard. I think I need a lobotomy.

Our food arrived and I suddenly lost my appetite. "Do you have any vodka?" I asked the waiter.

He smiled. "No, we don't have a liquor license. Can I get you some more lemonade though?"

What kind of establishment is this if they don't have a liquor license? "You don't have any alcohol whatsoever?" I was a little exasperated "not even a flask of something, _somewhere_?"

He gave me a tight smile. "No, ma'am."

Did he just call me ma'am? How old do I look? Way to kick me when I'm down asshole. "I'm not some old lady!" I spat. His face looked stunned and I took a deep, calming breath. "I'll have another lemonade. Please." This is just frigging great. Now how was I supposed to deal with what I just heard? I started pushing around my salad with my fork.

"Bella" my mom sounded concerned "maybe that was a little too much information but I'm just trying to help." She looked at me and took a big bite of salad.

I rolled my eyes. Help? She just scarred me for life. I'll never be able to look at my parents the same way again. Or have sex for that matter. "Ew" was the only thought I was able to get out.

She glared at me. "Oh, be quiet. Do you want my help or not?"

I contemplated this for awhile… my Dad does worship the ground she walks on… So, she must be doing something right but I don't think I can handle the details. I already felt sick. "If it involves hearing about your sex life, no way!" I said in a panicked voice. I couldn't even look her in the face. This was so embarrassing.

She held up her hands "Fine, I won't bring sex up again." She took a bite of food.

I felt my whole body relax. Thank God that torture was over. We were both silent for awhile as we ate our food.

"Just one more thing." She said.

I gave her my best annoyed expression. "What?"

"Are you being safe?"

"Yes mother."

"Ok! Good!"

"Can we please just stop talking about sex." I mouthed the word, I didn't want to say it out loud. "It's just weird."

She nodded her head.

"So, what else should I know?" I said taking a bite of salad. I _was_ kind of intrigued…

She beamed at me. "Men like to be taken care of but they don't want to be babied. It's fine line to tread, they need to feel like they're a man and that they are in control."

Oh. Well, I guess that went along with what Emmett told me last night, Edward doesn't feel like he's in control so he lashed out at me… I nodded my head…I need to let him feel like the man…. "How do I do that?" I asked.

"It's in a man's DNA to be a protector and provider, so let him protect and provide for you." She said flatly.

"Hello, this is 2013 not 1930!" No freaking way! "Are you kidding me? Get with the times, lady! I'm not going to act like some princess who needs rescued from the castle." I suddenly had the urge to burn my bra, whatever that meant. Wait, I'm wearing my favorite bra, so that's out of the question.

She waved her hand. "I'm not telling you to be a damsel in distress, I'm just saying men need to _feel_ like you need them."

Is she serious? "You're telling me to be needy?" I looked at her astounded."That's like the number one thing not to do in a relationship!" How the hell was she married for 25 years? Maybe this was a horrible idea. My parents are a totally different generation, she just doesn't get it.

She looked exasperated. "You're reading too much into it. I'm not telling you to be needy, just let him feel like he's in control. If you're going out on a date, let him pick a restaurant, let him pay for dinner. Little things like that go a long way. "

Oh. Hearing her say that made me feel extremely uncomfortable. "Isn't that like being a kept woman? I mean he already signs my paycheck and now I need to let him pay for dates too?" Well, I guess he does that already anyway.

She took a deep breath and set down her fork. "Honey, did you think about what we talked about yesterday? Did you think about what you're going to do with your situation?"

The way she said 'my situation' made it seem like I was in an abusive relationship or something. Edward wasn't beating me! Granted, we had some issues but they were minor things and we worked them out. The road was rocky but we are happy and in love.

"There's nothing to think about. I'm really happy with _my situation_." I felt lighter than air because this was the absolute truth.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but did you hear what you just said before? He signs your paycheck, Bella. Doesn't it bother you that he's your boss and your boyfriend? Say you two don't break up, aren't you concerned he has a little too much control over you?"

My head snapped up. The first thing I realized is that I was furious and the second was, holy mixed messages. How did this conversation take a turn for the worse? "Mom, did you hear anything _you_ just said in the last five minutes? You just said Edward needs to be in control and now you're upset because he has too much control over me?"

She let out a sigh. "Bella, you are missing the entire point. He needs to feel like he's in control not actually control you." She took a sip of her drink. "He just needs to feel like he's wearing the pants."

"Edward doesn't control me." I said defiantly. Apparently, I control him.

She nodded her head. "Honey, I know you may think you're in control but he is your boss, so he kind of holds all the cards."

How would she know that? She doesn't know anything about our relationship. She's never even met him! I was furious. "How would you know?"

"_Because_ _he's your boss_." The way she said it made me feel dumb. "Maybe, if you guys are going to keep dating, you should look for a new job. You don't want to be a marionette."

I get paid to do nothing, why would I ever give that up? "No way! I love my job!"

"Bella, look how defensive you're getting." She let out a puff of air. "I don't mean to upset you, I just want to give you an outsider's opinion."

I just glared at her. "Exactly! You're an outsider! You don't know my relationship!" I said in a shriek and I remembered, a little too late, that we are in a restaurant. I looked around and people were eyeing us. I wanted to fling a crouton at them and tell them to mind their business.

"Ok, let me give you a perfect example. You went out to LA this week?" She must have realized people were listening to us because her voice was much lower.

I nodded my head, what was she getting at?

"You didn't even tell me you were going out there. So, was this work trip planned? Or did he just call and you dropped everything to go see him?" She took a sip of her drink and looked smug.

My face flushed. _He emailed me and I went running_. That was something that I was deeply ashamed of. But at the same time, if I didn't do that I don't think Edward and I would be where we are today. I wanted to storm off like a child and I took a sip of my drink to stall for time. I couldn't let her know this.

Wait a minute! "He told me from the beginning that I would have to travel at a moment's notice. And if I worked in an office and had to take a work trip, you wouldn't make a huge stink about it. Edward needed me to take care of some stuff in Los Angeles, so I went out there to work. It's as simple as that." I left out the fact that 'the stuff we had to work on' was our relationship but I didn't want her to think that she was right. _Because she wasn't, right_? I had a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"You went there to work?" She sounded skeptical. "From what I saw it didn't look like you two were discussing business."

Shit. I'm busted. Wait! I had to get him a new phone, so that was work. "I did work and when Edward had a break we spent time together! But while he was shooting, I was working. Even though our situation is complicated, we keep our roles separate." That was a stretch and granted the one time I did work, it was because of my own doing. But it was still work nonetheless.

She didn't say anything for awhile. We just had a stare off. "Fine." She paused for a moment and looked sullen. "It's just I don't know Edward, at all. He's a major movie star and I don't want you to be dazzled by who he is and throw caution to the wind. You know what they say about those movie stars."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, I was already extremely disrespectful to my mother during this lunch. My Nonna is probably rolling in her grave. The phrase 'you catch more flies with honey' popped into my head and I decided to take a different approach. "Edward is a really great guy and he makes me really happy.. and I would feel that way even if he was just an average Joe." I took a sip of my lemonade. "Maybe you'll feel more comfortable once you meet him? I know two will get along great."

She didn't say anything for awhile. "I would like that." She grabbed my hand. "And since you're so happy, I would like to meet him soon. And it would be better if I met him before your father did. You know how he gets." She gave me a smile that made my heart clench.

I know I should be feeling relieved, so why wasn't I? I decided to think about it later. At least we straightened that out, I really needed my Mom to like Edward because if she didn't like him, there was no way in hell my Dad would let me date him. And he definitely wouldn't tolerate the shit I just pulled with my Mom. He'd lock me in my bedroom and never let me come out. "He'll be in New York a couple days before Memorial Day, maybe the three of us can go grab dinner?"

"Sounds wonderful, honey."

We ate in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So, have you met his parents yet? No matter what his Mom is like, you need to treat her like a queen. Nothing will ruin a relationship faster than trashing his Mom." She took a sip of her drink.

I took a large gulp. I was glad we were over that hump but we weren't off to a great start. She couldn't have picked a worse topic to discuss. "Uh, I don't think I'll be meeting his parents anytime soon." I said and took a bite of salad.

"Oh my goodness, did they pass?" A worried expression crossed her face, at least I think it did. The Botox made it hard to tell.

"Um, not exactly. They're kind of estranged." This was going to be bad. Family is the most important thing to my parents and the fact that my boyfriend has no relationship with his is going to be a huge red flag.

"Oh" she said chewing a piece of chicken. "Did he tell you why?" The way she eyed me made me feel like we just took twenty steps back.

I blew out a puff of air. If she was going to believe Edward and I were happy, I needed sugar coat things. I felt like my stomach was in knots. "Um, long story short, he wanted to become an actor instead of going to college and his parents weren't happy about it. So, they disowned him." I didn't feel like I should tell her that Edward was addicted to cocaine. My dad was a cop after all.

My mom's jaw was practically on the table. "But he's had such success! They haven't made up?"

Her reaction totally surprised me and I just shrugged my shoulders.

"That is just horrible." She said. "That poor boy." She took a bite of salad and chewed slowly, I could tell she was contemplating something in her head.

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, maybe you should try to reconnect him with his family. Life's too short and one day he's going to regret not having a relationship with his parents."

I nodded my head. That was something that never crossed my mind. I don't even know the details of what happened between them, so was that even my place to try and play mediator? Judging from what little I knew about Edward, I felt like that would be a horrible idea. There is no way in hell he would be happy about me meddling in his business.

_Maybe I'm not as in control as I think I am? _

"I'll think about it." I said and took another bite of salad.

I was so preoccupied by that notion, I wasn't really paying attention to what my mom was saying. She babbled on for a while longer and I nodded my head at all the right times, even though I wasn't hearing a word. Eventually we were back in the car and on our way to the bus station. I felt like I had no idea which way was up, this morning I was so sure about my relationship and now I really had no idea what was going on. I was just so confused about everything. She pulled me into a long hug. "Come back soon, ok? I just love having you around." She held me by my shoulders and looked at me. "Honey, don't worry, you'll figure it out, okay?"

I nodded my head, the confidence I had before was nowhere to be found. "Maybe you can come into the city sometime? We can go out and get lunch and have a girl's day?" I said hopefully.

"That sounds wonderful honey!" She kissed me on the cheek and we said our final goodbyes.

As I was on the bus back to NYC I was mulling over everything my mom was saying and it hit me. _Edward got me to come to LA because he threatened my job security_. I felt like someone knocked the wind out of me. _He does hold all the cards_. How did my Mom know this without knowing anything about our relationship? Maybe she is smarter than I give her credit for… I felt sick.

_Wait a fucking minute_.

Last night Emmett said I'm the first person Edward's had a relationship with where he doesn't feel like he's in control… I didn't think it was true at the time and I was right... Edward has complete control over me and when I rebelled against his cheating ass, he got Emmett to mind fuck me so he was in control again.

_It's like their tag team manipulating me._

Oh my God. And maybe that's why Edward cheated on me. He did it _because he could_. Isn't that why guys cheat? Because they can? He wasn't lashing out to get my attention, he cheated on me because he wanted to hook up with another girl and he knew he could get away with it. Edward knows I won't break up with him because if I did that, I'd lose my job too. He totally played me.

Mother fucker.

Wait, he says he loves me, so is that even true? Or is it just another way for him to hold power over me too? Was I thinking into this too much? God, I need a drink…

_I am the marionette. _

I rode all the way back to New York stewing in my latest revelation, I was so depressed and mad, all I wanted to do was go out and dance and drink. It's the perfect remedy for heartbreak. Maybe I'll even hook up with another guy and hopefully I'll get photographed with him.

_I'll show that fucker who's in control._

Screw my reputation, getting even seems more important right now.

I walked back into my apartment (after making a pit stop at the corner market to pick up some vodka) and I could hear Angela blasting Avicii. My mood instantly brightened, just what the doctor ordered. I dropped my bags and ran to her room, screaming when I saw her. "HI!" I said tackling her on the bed. "I've missed you!" It felt so good to be back with my best friend, to be with someone who I could trust.

"Bella!" She screamed. "I'm so happy you're back!" She started placing kisses all over my face. Ok, someone's been hitting the booze!

I smiled and picked up the half full glass of amber liquid that was on the desk, "girlll, how you gon' be drinking without me?" I said in my best Bon Qui Qui voice, taking a big gulp. Ooh, I was surprised it was diet coke and vodka, well mostly vodka with a splash of coke. Just the way I like it.

"So, tell me everything. I saw the cover of Us Weekly… you two have gone public?" She said pulling us up off the bed. I groaned. After my most recent discovery, the last thing I wanted to do was think about Edward fucking Cullen. I felt like I was going to burst into tears. Nope, I decided to focus on the positive.

We started taking shots and I gave Angela a recap of my time in LA, omitting the whole cheating thing. I was one step away from having a Chernobyl style meltdown and I knew if I told her about the cheating I would wind up staying home, crying, stuffing my face and listening to Adele. I needed to have a fun, not be pathetic. Ang filled me in on everything I missed in New York and we brought the bottles and shot glasses to my room so I could pick out something to wear.

I grabbed my bags from the hallway and pulled out a neon yellow strapless dress that my mom bought for me today. I couldn't believe she liked it but in light of all the recent _things_ I've learned about my mother , I'm no longer surprised. The dress was super short, super tight and had two large diamond cutouts on either side of my ribcage. The dress had a zipper running from the top to bottom in the front, making it extremely easy access. Now I just need to find someone who wants an all access pass to Bella Land. It's like Disney Land for hot men.

I held up the dress and Angela squealed, I knew that she thought it was a good idea too. "So, what's the plan for tonight" I asked as I stripped down to my underwear and pulled the dress on. Hm… I needed to change my bra. I dug through my unpacked suitcases that were still on my floor, looking for a strapless bra.

"The guys booked a table at 1 Oak.." She said handed me a glass of diet coke and vodka. "And oh my God! I have to tell you something!" She said bouncing up and down on the bed.

I found a bra and put it on. "What?" I asked pulling my dress back up.

"So, I'm not suppose to say anything to you because they guys wanted to tell you themselves, so act surprised when they do! Okay?"

I nodded my head eagerly and took a sip of my drink. Whoa, that was strong.

"Tada wants to do a spinoff of Jersey Wives and they're possibly giving Mike and Ben their own reality show and they want us to be on it!" Her voice got higher and higher as she told me the news and she was beaming from ear to ear.

What! "Are you serious?" I stopped digging through my makeup bag. "Wait, us?" I asked, looking at her in the mirror.

"Yeah!" She was nodding her head up and down. "I met with the network big wigs for casting yesterday and the guys are going to ask you to set up a meeting too."

I laughed. Could I really be a reality TV star? It really had no appeal to me… I took a large gulp of my drink. "Wait! What about school?"

"I talked to my boss along with the legal team at Tada and legally I can't get fired for it, so I decided I might as well!" She hastily grabbed her drink that was sitting on my desk. "YOLO bitch" she screamed.

I started laughing hysterically, did she just say _YOLO? Reall_y? I clinked my glass to hers. Why the hell not. "YOLO!" We gulped down the rest of our drinks and Ang poured us refills as I started working on my makeup again. "So when do they start filming?" I asked.

"They're not sure yet, it's all still in the beginning stages. The producers of Jersey Wives just pitched the concept to the network and they're still looking for characters and blah blah blah.."

She happily told me about her casting interview and prepped me for what to expect when the network eventually calls me for my casting session. I was so nervous about the whole prospect of being on TV, would people even like me? What if I became one of the most hated people on TV like that girl from the Bachelor? I would just die. But maybe the whole thing could be kind of fun? Oh my God! I could develop my own line of alcohol! It seems like every reality TV star is doing it! And I do like my alcohol…

The prospect of being on TV was becoming less nerve-wracking and lot more exciting. Though, I wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that Angela and I were almost finished with our second bottle of vodka or because I was just adopting Angela's YOLO outlook. _Whatever!_

Hey… maybe that could be my catch line. I'd have to add some over the top gesture where I move my neck from side to side without moving my shoulders. Maybe I could even add some snaps? I'll have to practice in the mirror.

My phone started ringing and it snapped (no pun intended) me out of my daze. Angela dug through my bag, pulling it out. "It's Edward" She sung. Ugh. I was just about to tell her to ignore it when she answered the call. Damn, I had finally forgotten about that asshole and he somehow managed to weasel his way back into my consciousness.

"Hellloooo" she said putting the phone on speaker.

"Hey babe. How are you?" Edward's sexy voice filled the room. It was unnerving how my anger dissipated from just the sound of his voice. It was probably part of his mind control. Keep your cool Bella, I silently told myself.

"I'm good, just getting ready to go out with Angela." She said. "You should see the dress I'm wearing, you'd loveeee it." She started laughing.

"Oh, I'd think I'd like what you're wearing underneath more." He said in a husky voice.

I started giggling, I can't believe the idiot didn't know he wasn't talking to me.

"Baby, I'm not wearing anything underneath" She said sexily.

I took a big gulp of my drink.

"Oh yeah?" He said in a husky voice.

"Oh yeah" Angela said in a sexy half whisper. "What are you wearing, baby?"

I heard a groan at the other end of the line. Was it weird my best friend and boyfriend were about to have phone sex? I thought about it for a second and decided it was perfectly normal. I took another large gulp of my drink. _Whatever._

"I wish you were here…" he said.

"Tell me what you would do to me" Angela grabbed a nail file off my desk and started filing her nails, acting like she was having a totally normal conversation.

"I'm going to rub my hands up those sexy legs and slip two fingers into your tight pussy." He said in a husky voice.

"Make it three baby." She made a moaning noise and I tried to stifle my giggles. "I'm so wet for you." She said examining her nail.

"Touch yourself, let me hear you moan."

She took a deep breath. "Anything you want baby" she moaned and I put my hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter.

I was kind of turned on, so I grabbed the bottle of vodka. Shit, there was barely any left. I drank the last drops straight from the bottle and stood up to see if we had any more alcohol. Whoa, I'm getting the spins. Then, I was falling, in what felt like slow motion. I tried to grab something to keep me upright but I couldn't grasp anything. I crashed into my closet door and literally fell into my closet, landing on top of the door. I was so stunned. I just sat there for awhile trying to absorb what happened. After I realized I didn't die, I started hysterically laughing.

Angela bursted into a fit of giggles and I finally managed to dig myself out from under the piles of clothes that fell on top of me and stood up. I looked at the damage and I somehow knocked the door off the hinges and it was resting on the ground. There were clothes everywhere. Whatever. Damn, my ass hurts. I started rubbing it.

"Sorry. Something fell out of my closet." Angela whispered into the phone, her body was still shaking with laughter.

I walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

I stood there for awhile trying to remember what I came out here for… Damn it!

Hm… well. Food would be nice.

I opened the fridge and saw that there was a package of Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls.

Oh my God! I haven't had cinnamon rolls in forever! Wait, I just had them the other day…. Shit. When did I have cinnamon rolls? My head was so fuzzy. I need to stop drinking. _Wait a fucking minute._ I was suddenly furious.

I ran into my room like a bat out of hell. "YOU CHEATING ASSHOLE! I HATE YOUR FUCKING GUTS! YOU ARE THE SCUM BETWEEN MY TOES! HANG UP THE PHONE ANGELA!" I screamed and Angela stared at me wide eyed.

"What the hell?" Edward sounded confused. "Did you just quote the Little Rascals?"

"SO WHAT IF I DID? ARE YOU THE PHRASE POLICE! HANG UP THE PHONE ANGELA!" I screamed. She hung up the phone and instantly started apologizing. "Bella, I'm sorry. I thought it was a joke. I didn't mean to offend you…. I thought we were just goofing around." She got off the bed and was standing next to me.

I had a hard time focusing on Angela's face. "I'm not talking about that. I kind of like that you two were about to have phone sex." I said picking up my glass off the floor. I tried to take a sip but it was empty. Shit! That's what I went into the kitchen for! More alcohol!

Angela looked at me like I lost my mind. "Ok…"

Maybe I was losing my mind. I was drunk and I was contemplating if I should tell her about the cheating or not… I walked back out to the kitchen and found a box of wine. Phenomenal.

After painstakingly trying to open the box, I finally managed to get the little spicket out and fill my glass. I took a big sip and turned around to see Angela eyeing me cautiously. "Edward cheated on me while we were in LA" I blurted out. I don't think I'd ever be able to keep a secret.

Angela's mouth was in a perfect O. "Are you kidding me? This whole time you were gushing about how great he is? And he slept with someone else?" She looked furious. "You need to dump his sorry ass."

Angela walked over and filled her glass with wine. I instantly regretted telling her, I didn't want to break up with Edward. I'd be heartbroken and poor. God damn it, my mom was right! I was instantly backtracking. "No! He only kissed a girl!" At least, I think he only kissed a girl. Come to think of it, I never found out exactly what he did. "I think" I said and took another large gulp. How does he always manage to skirt around the details? I wanted to kill him.

My phone started ringing again and I ran back into my room. It was Edward. "Did you have schex with that girl?" I slurred. I didn't even say hello.

"Bella? Are you drunk? I didn't have sex with anyone that night. Where the hell is this coming from? Didn't we put this behind us?"

"YOU ARE CONTROLLING MY WHOLE LIFE!" I screamed and hung up the phone. Well, so much for keeping my cool.

Angela looked bewildered. "Um. Are you ok?" She started rubbing my back.

I took a deep breath and gave myself a silent pep talk. I wasn't about to cry. I was going to go out and have fun. "I'm great." I smiled up at her and she looked skeptical.

"Uh, ok?" She was studying my face.

I nodded my head. "I juscht want to dance." I said matter of fact.

Angela still looked unconvinced but thankfully she dropped the subject. We danced around our apartment like lunatics. I needed to keep myself busy, I didn't want to think about my predicament with Edward. I can't believe I told him I loved him… even though I do love him I was furious at myself for saying it. Look at what happened between us. I need to take a stand, let him know I'm not going to be his little pawn. I grabbed my phone and texted Edward.

I WILL NOT BE THE MARIONETTE!

My phone started ringing instantly. I hit ignore. A few seconds later, I got a text message.

What are you talking about? What is going on? WILL YOU PLEASE TALK TO ME?

There he goes controlling me again. I furiously typed away.

I'M MY OWN PERSON!

I turned my phone off and shoved it in my black clutch. After some more dancing, Angela and I stumbled up to the guys' apartment with our box of wine. When we walked inside, we both stopped dead in our tracks. _What the fuck. _Mike, Ben, Jessica, Lauren, Jake and Tanya were all sitting together on the large couch.

"Well, if it ischn't the whole gang!" I slurred And at the same time Ang said "Oh, fuck".

We turned to each other and giggled. Ben got up and rushed over to us, talking in a hushed voice "I texted you both but I'm assuming you didn't get it." I rolled my eyes and Angela gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Whatever, I'm not going to let these idiots ruin my night… but why the fuck are they here? Especially TANYA!

Seeing her made me think of Edward and I felt a pang. I guess I had it coming, karma is a bitch.

Angela tugged my hand and pulled me toward the couch. "Excusche me" she slurred, super loud as she shoved her ass in Tanya's face. "Can you move down?" She said in an annoyed voice. God, I love her. Tanya scooted down and Angela sat next to her, so I didn't have to. Luckily, I was sitting next to Mike, he was probably the only person in this room who didn't hate me.

I looked at everyone sitting on the couch, _awkward._ "Well, ischn't thisch just _scho cozy_." I said as I poured a glass of Belvedere with no mixer. Fuck the wine.

"So, Bella, how was LA?" Jessica said in a way too perky tone.

I wanted to say SHUT UP BITCH. But something stopped me, which was a miracle considering all the alcohol I consumed. "Fucking amazing." I said half gulping my drink. I needed to keep my mouth occupied so I don't spill the beans to these assholes.

Jake snorted. "Yeah it looked like you had a great time." I'm pretty sure he actually snarled at me but I wasn't sure. I was too distracted by Lauren possessively slinging her legs over his. Way to flash your hoo-ha, hoe.

"Are you deaf? I juscht schaid that." I said icily. "Scho, are you two like a thing now?" I said pointing my finger between the two of them.

"Yeah, we are." Lauren said bitchily."Why don't you have another drink. You're clearly not drunk enough already."

I just laughed. Maybe I will. And maybe I'll dump it on your ugly head. I glared at her and took a sip of my drink. Maybe I should show her the sext Jake sent me the other night. I decided to hold out. My dad always told me to save ammunition until the most opportune time.

The room was silent.

"So, uh, Bella" Mike said "we have some exciting news." He grabbed Jessica's hand and I tensed.

Exciting news? Were they getting engaged? Holy shit, if they are that happy in their relationship, I'm going to shoot myself. "What?" I said trying to act interested.

"Ben and I are going to get our own reality show!" His face lit up like a birthday cake.

Oh, thank God he wasn't engaged.

Wait, I already knew this. Oh yeah! I have to act surprised. Angela nudged my side and I must have been thinking about this too long. Whoops. "Oh my God! That'sch amazing!" I opened my mouth into an O and clapped my free hand on my cheek. I'm pretty sure I looked like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. Whatever.

"Yeah, and uh, we would like you to film with us." Mike said.

"If you want?" Ben added.

I heard a groan and I think it came from turtle face or Jessica. What was their problem? All my quarrels about appearing on TV went out the door. "Uh, duh!" I said and pulled Mike into a big hug, just to piss Jessica off. Since my relationship was shot to hell, everyone else's should be too. Except Ang and Ben, of course.

We pulled apart and Jessica quickly wrapped her arms around Mike. I smiled.

"Awesome. We thought you would say that so we gave the casting director your phone number. He should be calling you soon to set up a meeting." Mike said and he squeezed my knee.

I was on could nine. Maybe things would work out ok after all. Then I wouldn't have to work for Edward and I could be my own person.

Tanya and Lauren started whispering to each other and by the glances they were shooting my way, it was obvious they were talking about me.

_Bitch, if you wanna talk about me, I'll make out with your boyfriend. _

I looked at Jake and he was glaring at me. This could be fun. I sexily licked my lips and winked. I felt like a porn star, I just hope I looked like one too. He looked stunned and then dropped his head to hide his smile. I felt like bouncing up and down on the couch but I resisted the urge and took a sip of my drink. Who knew alcohol was such a good distraction?

After a couple of moments. Everyone sat there, coupled off, talking to their significant others. Tanya and I were the odd girls out. Should I try to start up a conversation with her? _Hell no! _ I laughed out loud. Wait, maybe we could bond over the fact Edward cheated on both of us? Granted, I don't think I'd get much sympathy out of her since Edward cheated on her with me. Whatever, I just sat there, staring at the floor, drinking my drink.

Two vodka's later. Ben clapped his hands together. "Well, its 11:30, you guys want to head out?"

"YESCH!" I tried to stand up but I fell right back down on the couch. Fuck. I felt like I was in one of those spinning barrels that are in a fun house. I somehow managed to stand and the next thing I know, we all piled into separate taxis and drove to the club. As soon as Angela and I got there, we poured ourselves a drink and headed to the dance floor. We were dancing and gyrating to the music and I was forgetting all my problems with Edward as I shook my ass against some guy. I didn't even turn around to see what he looked like, granted I probably wouldn't even be able to tell.

I wasn't even sure how long I was dancing but I could feel my mystery dancer's erection pressing against the small of my back and his clammy hands kept trying to unzip my dress. Get real buddy. Gross. I broke free from his grasp and started stumbling around. I was bumping into people left and right and eventually I somehow managed to end up in a little corridor.

I felt like one of those mice in laboratory experiments. In my case, the cheese was our VIP table. I had the odd feeling I wasn't even close to the cheese.

I was walking down some hallway, with no shoes on. Wait, w_here the fuck did my shoes go_? I felt a strong hand grasp my arm. I whipped around and lost my footing, luckily whoever grabbed my arm managed to keep a tight grip on me, keeping me upright. I looked up into the face of Jake.

I yanked my arm out of his grasp and fell back against the wall. Ouch, I was definitely going to have a bruise, I started rubbing the spot that hurts. "What'sch up buttercup?"

"You're going to tease me like that on the dance floor and then walk away?" He leaned down and I could smell whiskey on his breath. He zipped my dress up. Whoops, I had no idea it was even undone. He stepped forward and had me pinned against the wall. So, Jake was clam hands?

I felt my breath quicken.

"Why are you with Edward Cullen?" He leaned down and kissed me on my neck.

_I hate that guy._ "None of your bee'sch wax." I tried to push his shoulders away from me but it only made him press his pelvis against me. I could feel his erection. I felt a pull in my lower regions. _Oh shit._

"I like your dress." He slipped a hand underneath one of the cutouts and his thumb grazed over my boob, damn why did I wear a bra? I grabbed his chin, pulling his face to mine and we started making out.

After a few minutes. I got my wits about me. Why was I making out with Jake when Lauren wasn't even around? This was so pointless. I yanked his hand out from under my dress and it caused my whole top to come down. It wasn't what I was going for but it looks like the girls want to come to the party too. Jake scooped me up and shoved me through some door. What was this room? It was completely dark. He was holding me up and had me pinned against the wall and unhooked my bra, tossing it to the side.

His mouth was instantly on my breasts. Should I be doing this? I still have a boyfriend but he's an asshole. Maybe Jake just needs closure? He flicked my nipple with his tongue and I gasped.

_Oh, what the hell_. I fumbled with his zipper and yanked his pants and boxers so they were around his ankles. He ripped my underwear from my body and before I could say 'let's get it on', he was inside me.

It was quick and rough. I heard Jake groan, just as I was finding my own release. Holy shit, I forgot how good he was. I unwrapped my legs from him and I slid down his body. We were completely silent as I straightened my dress out and Jake pulled his pants back on.

"Damn." He said and kissed me hard on the mouth.

I felt an odd sense of satisfaction. "I guessch turtle face ischn't doing it for ya." I turned and tried to walk out of the room, except I couldn't see anything. What the hell, where was the door? I started walking around with my hands stretched out trying to feel around. I guess I wasn't going to make a dramatic exit.

I was walking forward and my knees caught on something, causing me to fall forward with a loud crash. "OWWW" I screamed. I was lying on the floor. This is just fucking great. I would love to make it through one night of drinking without falling on my ass.

I heard laughing.

"SCHUT UP!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry. It's kind of funny though." I saw a faint light and then Jake was walking towards me, using his cell phone as a flashlight. He helped me up and I grabbed his phone to look around for my clutch. I found it on the floor a couple feet away. We walked to the door and Jake turned the handle but it didn't open. "It's locked" he said.

"Schut up." I grabbed the handle and started shaking it. NO NO NO. "Oh fuck no!" I started panicking. "We're going to die in here!" I screamed. My mind was racing. I started pounding on the door. "Schomeone get me out of here! HELP!"

"Bella. Calm down. We're not going to die." He started dialing a number on his phone. He stood there for awhile. He hung up the phone without saying anything.

"Oh my God. We're going to run out of oxygen and schuffocate!" I started pounding on the door again. "Why the fuck did you drag me in here. This is all your fault!" I said as I slumped against the door.

"My fault? _You kissed me!_ And I don't recall you telling me to stop!" He yelled.

I was furious. "Don't you yell at me. I'm going to die because of you!" I started digging through my bag, looking for my phone. I needed to call my parents and tell them goodbye.

I turned on my phone and I had a lot of missed calls and a lot of text messages. Whatever, I can't deal with this right now. I'm about to meet my maker. I was contemplating who to call first and my phone started ringing. It was Edward, I might as well say goodbye.

"Edward." I said half sobbing. Shit, I didn't even realize I was crying. "I hate you and I juscht want to schay goodbye becausche I'm going to die."

"You're not going to die!" I heard Jake yell.

"Bella? Are you alright? Why are you dying? Who are you with?" He sounded worried, mad and nervous all wrapped into one.

"We never roll played or got toysch but no handcuffsch for usch. No way. My dad likesch hisch handcuffsch. Ischn't that grossch." I said and wiped my nose.

"Bella. You're not making any sense. Take a cab and go to my apartment. I'll be there in the morning. I'm at LAX on my way to New York right now."

Was I imagining this? "SCHTOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" I wiped the tears from my face.

"Why do you keep saying that? I don't tell you what to do! EVER!" I could tell he was talking through clenched teeth.

I couldn't deal with this right now, I was about to die. "CONTROL FREAK!" I screamed and hung up the phone.

"So", Jake said "trouble in paradise?"

I jumped. I forgot he was in here. "No." I said as I stared at my phone. Who do I call? My mom? My dad?

Jake was on the phone and I heard some mumbling.

I just stood there trying not to hyperventilate. "Our rescue team is on the way." He slid his phone in his pocket and walked over to me. He wrapped his arms around me, cupping my ass. "It doesn't sound like he's making you happy. Didn't I make you happy?" He placed a kiss on the crook of my neck.

I pushed him away, even if I wasn't with Edward I certainly don't want to be with Jake, even though we have amazing sex. "I'm with Edward." I said flatly. "And you're with turtle face."

He laughed. "Turtle face?"

"Thisch ischn't going to happen again. Ever." I said

"Ah.. sure." He sounded like he didn't believe me.

My phone beeped. It was Angela.

Where are you?

I texted her back. It was so hard to focus, I had to close one eye.

I'm locked in a room. It's cold and dark! Help me! I'm chained to the wall.

I started pounding on the door and after awhile, it swung open. We're saved! I ran out of the room and hugged some random guy. "SCHUPER MAN!" I kissed him smack on the lips. He just stood there. "Uh, thanks?" Jake grabbed my arm and tugged me down the hallway.

"Let me go!" I yelled and tried to yank my arm out of his grasp. I saw someone grab my shoulders and after a moment of staring, I saw Angela.

"B! I wasch looking for you everywhere!" she slurred and then she looked up at Jake and smiled.

"What were you two doing?" She said in a mocking tone.

"Juscht having schex." I said and linked my arm in hers, walking away from Jake.

We somehow found our way back to the table and I saw Turtle face and Tanya sitting on the couches, looking bored. "You schould really keep an eye on your boyfriend!" I said to Lauren as Angela and I plopped down on the couch across from them. Ang elbowed me in the side and giggled.

Tanya glared at me. "You think you're such hot shit but in reality you're nothing. You're just another pathetic, drunk, whore."

I rolled my eyes. Who was she to talk to me this way? "Apparently Edward doeschn't think scho." I smiled and took a sip of my drink.

She let out a wicked laugh. "Please. He's been trying to get back with me ever since I dumped his sorry ass."

If I was able to stand up on my own I would have ran over there and choked the bitch. Luckily, Angela grabbed my arm and helped me stand. Once I was on my feet, I tried to lunge at her but a big body was in my way. It was Jake. "YOU AGAIN! MOVE!" I said trying to push him out of the way but he wasn't going anywhere.

"Calm down. You're going to get kicked out." He cupped my chin and for a minute I thought he was going to kiss me.

"Get off of me!" I yelled and pulled myself out of his grasp. Angela grabbed my hand "You're schuch a fucking lair Tanya. Bella wasch there when Edward dumped your _pathetic assch! _You two are scho boring!" She spat as she pulled me away.

We walked away and I was fuming. Wait, Edward did dump her. So she lied about that. So did she lie about Edward trying to get back with her? I decided to believe her. "I'll kill him!" I yelled at her. She ushered me to the smoking lounge and we both lit up a cigarette.

"Sche is schuch a bitch!" Anglea slurred.

I wanted to kill them both! "Edward wantsch to be with her!" I whined and I pulled out my phone. I'll settle this. I saw I had a text message from Jake.

We need to talk about what just happened.

Why would we need to talk about the fight I just had with Tanya and Lauren? Who cares! I ignored it and called Edward. It went straight to voicemail. "You're trying to get back with TANYA! I'LL KILL YOU." I screamed and hung up the phone. I hate all these people.

"I hate everyone. Excpet you." I said to Angela. "Everyone schucks and they schuck at everything." I slurred and took a long drag of my cigarette. Damn, I need a drink. Hey, there's one on the table. I picked it up and took a large gulp. What was this? I examined the glass but I couldn't tell. Whatever. "Anglea. I'm missching my schoesch." I looked down at my bare feet and laughed.

"Are they in the room you were locked in? Did you and Jake really have schex." She took a long drag of her cigarette.

What was she talking about? I thought back, wait I was locked in a room… and I was in the room because I had sex with Jake. I was actually happy. I just shrugged my shoulders. "YOLO!" I screamed.

Some guys in the corner laughed and screamed back "YOLO!" As the held up their drinks.

We finished our cigarettes and went back out on the dance floor, dancing until five AM when the two of us stumbled out of the club. Where was everyone we came with? "I don't want to go home!"  
Angela slurred and we stumbled down the street in the dark.

"Donutsch" I yelled and ran into Dunkin Donuts. We ordered a box of munhkins and two lemonade coolatas. "Let'sch go get VODKA!" Angela slurred and we were on our way to the corner market. We bought a bottle of vodka and poured some in our lemonades.

"Thisch isch scho perfect." I shoved a glazed munchkin in my mouth. We somehow managed to find our way to Chelsea Park and laid down on the grass, in the dark. "I wonder where all the people are?" I took a sip of my lemonade. It's so peaceful and quiet here.

The next thing I know, someone is shaking me. "Ladies. NYPD. You can't sleep in the park. Let's go."

I opened an eye and saw it was daylight. Where am I? I groaned and tried to roll over. Except I heard a crunching noise. This doesn't feel like my bed…. I opened an eye and saw I was laying on top of a box of Munckins… in grass…. And I'm still very drunk. "Oooh, munckinsch!" How did we get doughnuts? I pulled the box out from under me and popped one in my mouth. Yum. I looked over and saw Angela was groggily sitting up.

"Ladies. Come on. I don't want to have to arrest you. So, get a move on." I jumped. Who the fuck was that! I looked behind me and it took awhile to focus but I saw a police officer and he didn't look happy.

"Why are you in my room?" I asked.

He laughed but quickly regained his composure. "Let's go ladies. You're in Chelsea Park." Oh, that explains the grass. I guess that makes sense, I don't have grass in my room. He held out a hand to pull me up and I wobbily stood up, rocking back and forth on my feet. Why am I in a park? He helped Angela to her feet.

"How did we get here?" Angela asked and she pulled up my dress up over my boobs. I guess they were hanging out. Whatever. Then my phone started ringing. I dug through my bag, which somehow I managed to keep and saw it was Edward.

"Hello?" I asked. Why the fuck was he calling me so early?

"Where are you? I thought you were coming to my apartment?" He sounded mad.

"Ladies, you really need to move. Come on" The cop was chewing on a munchkin. I waved my hand.

"I'm in the park." I sat down on the grass again because it was just too hard to stand.

"Are you going to your apartment?" Edward said.

"Nope, to the moon." I took a sip of the drink that was sitting next to me. Oooh, vodka!

"I'll meet you there." He hung up the phone and I was kind of confused. How was Edward getting to the moon too?

"Ladies. If you don't get a move on, I'm going to have to take you to the station."

I tried to stand up and it was useless. I held out my arms to him. He pulled me up once more. "Can you drive usch home officer?" I said batting my eyelashes.

"The only ride you'll get is to the station." He sounded annoyed.

Well then, asshole. Angela and I stumbled out of the park and somehow we made it into a cab. We pulled up to our building and I saw Edward standing outside.

"What'sch he doing here?" I yelled. We got out of the cab and I warily walked towards Edward.

"Bella" He grabbed my shoulders and examined every inch of me "what happened to you?" He tried to pull me into a hug but I pushed him away.

"Go fuck yourself." I spat and walked into the building after Angela.

He grabbed my arm and followed me in. "I'm going to assume this is the alcohol talking, so I'm just going to let it slide."

I just glared at him. The three of us were in the elevator and I took a sip of my lemonade. I looked over at Angela and she was drinking vodka straight from the bottle. I giggled.

"Where are your shoes?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

We walked into my bedroom and I was shocked when I saw the state of my bedroom.

"What the fuck happened in here?" Edward was looking around wildly.

"I WASCH ROBBED!" Oh my God! Please tell me they didn't take my Chanel bag! I haven't even used it yet! After looking around for awhile, I decided that this whole situation could wait, I was extremely tired. I unzipped my dress and let it fall to the floor. I saw that I was naked. Where was my bra and underwear? I'm pretty sure I had undergarments on when I got dressed to go out.

"You weren't lying about not wearing anything underneath."

I ignored Edward and crawled under the sheets.

"Next time, I expect you to wear underwear when you go out drinking." He said flatly as he crawled into bed and snuggled up behind me. "I don't want anyone to see what is mine." He ran a hand down my stomach.

There he goes again, telling me what to do. "Why are you naked?" I asked.

"Well, I would wear boxers but I don't have any without holes in them." I felt him place a kiss on my shoulder.

"I know you're trying to get back with Tanya." I scooted forward so we weren't touching.

I heard a loud huff. "Bella. Will you please tell me why you're acting this way?"

"It'sch becausche you control me. And you mind fuck me. And I don't want to be the marionette." I was getting very sleepy.

"Bella, I don't know where this is coming from. Why do you think I control you?"

"Becausche you're my bossch." I shifted around until I was comfortable. Wait a fucking minute. "Why are you here?"

"Because I love you."

"I love you too." I said and fell into a peaceful sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

**** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER****

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**************THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN REVIEWING MY STORY! **

**Sorry it's been so long! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

I felt like I was going to die, literally one step away from death. I wish someone would put me down, like they do with sick animals. There has to be some ghetto Veterinary office that would do the deed…. If I only knew where my phone was, I could find out… but that would require me to open my eyes and there was no way that was going to happen. It hurts so much. Damn... I groaned and slowly rolled onto my side.

I must have drifted back to sleep because the next thing I know, my bed was shaking vigorously.

"EARTHQUAKE!" I shot up, almost having a heart attack. The sound of laughter made me realize it wasn't an earthquake but rather someone jumping up and down on my bed. "Angela why are you doing this to me" I whined. "How are you alive right now?"

I looked up, o_h, that's not Angela_, it was Edward's smiling face. _What an asshole. _I wanted to slap him but I already used all my energy on sitting up. I flopped back onto my bed and tried to fall back asleep.

"Not such a nice way to wake up, is it Miss Swan?" I felt the bed shift as he curled up behind me.

It's always nice waking up to you, I said silently. Wait a minute! I opened my eyes and saw I was in my bedroom in New York. "Wait. How… What… Why are you here?" Oh no. I couldn't stay to hear the answer. I flung off the covers and ran to the bathroom. I threw up everything. Multiple times.

I felt the cold tile on my bare ass and it took a moment to register that I was naked. Oh hell, why am I naked? I looked at my stomach and there was no lipstick smiley face. So Angela didn't put me to bed and anyway, I would be in my bra and underwear if she did… So, does that mean I got naked on my own free will? Maybe Edward undressed me? I guess we had sex last night? Or this morning? When did he even get here? How did he get here? More importantly, why is he here?

Awww! Did he just want to see me? That's so freaking sweet! I thought as I sat there dry heaving.

Wait, he's so busy I doubt he would just hop on a plane because he missed me…. I would have to go to him…. So, did I ask him to come see me? Yeah right! Yesterday I was so pissed at him there was no way I would ask him to come see me…. Damn… I must have freaked out on him about the whole controlling thing. My throat suddenly felt tight and I started throwing up again.

This is so bad! I hope that's not why he's here. I really don't want this to be a whole issue because frankly, I don't have the energy to fight. Anyway, I'm so over it. It doesn't seem like such a dire problem anymore. I mean, it's not cool but what am I going to do about it? Quit my job? Break up with him? No thank you! It seems like a fair trade, dating the man of my dreams and putting up with his controlling ways. I mean, Edward not that horrible… he's good to me and everyone always says, you have to take the good with the bad. No one's perfect, right?

_Right!_

I felt much lighter, both physically and mentally. I flushed the toilet and stood up. I hastily brushed my teeth and I realized I needed to shower because I wasn't quick enough to tie my hair back.

God, this fucking sucks.

I turned on the water and sat on the floor in the shower. It would be nice if I had a servant because I would make them wash my hair, I just didn't have the energy to do it myself. Wait a minute, "EDWARD!" I screamed. I waited a few seconds and he didn't come. "EDWARD!" I yelled again and I heard the door open.

"Are you ok?" His head peeked around the shower curtain and he seemed confused when he saw me sitting there. "Did you fall?"

"I need you to wash my hair." I said as I held out a bottle of Pantene.

"You can't do it yourself?"

I just stared at him. Talking was too difficult.

He let the shower curtain close and I was about to cry because I thought I was going to have to do this myself. Granted, I don't think I could even produce tears right now I was so dehydrated. I opened my mouth and drank some water that came out of the shower head. God only knows what kind of weird shit is in New York City water, but desperate times right? The curtain pulled back and Edward's naked body got into the shower with me. Woohoo!

"If I wash your hair what are you going to do for me?" He sat down behind me, straddling my body and he started rubbing my shoulders.

I was in no mood for this flirtiness. "I'll try not to throw up on you." I just wanted him to wash my hair so I could go back to bed.

"Yikes. That's not exactly what I had in mind but I'll take it." He pulled my shoulders back so my head wasn't under the stream of water and I was leaning against him. If I wasn't about to kick the bucket, I would have definitely enjoyed this. I possibly could even fall asleep like this. I heard him squirt some shampoo in his hand and he started massaging my scalp.

It felt amazing but it didn't last nearly long enough. He pushed my shoulders forward enough so that I was under the stream of water and my reaction time was lacking, so shampoo got in my eyes. Couldn't he give me a warning? What is wrong with this fool? "Ow." I grumbled and started rubbing my eyes.

He ran his fingers through my hair to get all the suds out and once I realized I was good. I tried to stand up but Edward wrapped his legs around me, pinning me to the ground. _"_Ah, ah. I've got to wash your body."

_I just want to go back to sleep! _"Please no. I'm not in the mood, I feel so horrible."I turned around to look at him and he started laughing. I would punch him if I could.

His hand came to my face and he plucked off both of my false eyelashes, tossing them to the side. "You look like you've had a rough night babe." He kissed me on the side of my temple.

"Ya think?" I said sarcastically and tried to stand up again. It was no use, I was too weak.

"Let's at least wash your makeup off." He squirted some of my Purity face wash into his hand and started rubbing it all over my face. Once he was done, he pushed my head under the stream of water again.

"Much better." He said and stood up. He held a hand out to help me up and on shaky legs, I managed to stand. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped my body in a towel and twisted my hair up in another.

"I'm going to finish showering. I'll be out in a minute." He said and I pulled a towel out of the linen closet and set it on the counter for him. My hands were shaking from overexerting myself like this, so I headed for the kitchen. I took a handful of Advil and chugged a bottle of water. I silently prayed that it wouldn't make a second appearance. Once I felt like it was safe to move, I walked back into my room and flopped onto my bed.

I fell back asleep.

"Bella. You have to wake up." I felt a hand run down my back.

I groaned. I wasn't feeling as horrible as before but I wasn't feeling good either. "No" I managed to say.

"Come on. I didn't travel six hours to watch you sleep all day."

I groaned and managed to sit up. I saw a bottle of water sitting on my nightstand along with my flower box and I smiled like a kid on Christmas morning. I took a sip of water and Edward must have noticed my sudden uplift in mood because he laughed. "I found it while I was cleaning your room. And the good new is, I don't think you were robbed, you're just a slob"

"Robbed? What are you talking about?" I looked around and noticed that all the clothes and suitcases that littered my floor yesterday were nowhere to be seen. My room was cleaner than it's ever been. "What did you do with everything?"

He smiled. "I had a very productive day doing your laundry." He handed me a rolled joint.

_He did my laundry?_ I was unsure of how I felt about that… I didn't like the fact that he touched my dirty underwear but on the other hand, now I didn't have to do it! And frankly, I freaking hate doing laundry… Wait, did he look through my stuff? Fuck, I hope he didn't find my vibrator… that would be so freaking embarrassing. I would die.

"I ordered pizza too. It'll be here in thirty minutes."

In that moment, as much as I hated him I loved him just as equally. Oh, who cares if he found it. Maybe we can play with it! I apparently need to work toys into our sex lives anyway. I leaned in and gave him a long kiss on the lips. I pulled my face back an inch. "Did I get arrested last night?" I blurted out. I vaguely remember something about the police. I took another sip of water and looked around my nightstand for a lighter.

"Not that I'm aware of."

I realized I was naked, so I set the joint down and walked over to my closet. Wait a minute, "what happened to the door?" it was propped up against the wall adjacent to my closet. I pulled out a black pair of yoga pants and a black camisole. I looked at my hair in the mirror and sighed. It looked like a disaster and since Edward didn't put conditioner in it this morning, there was no way I was going to get a brush through this mess. I twisted it up in a sloppy bun.

Through the mirror, I saw Edward shrug. "I don't know. It was like that when I got here this morning."

Oh…. I wonder what happened? Well, at least I figured out when he got here, but how did he get in my apartment? Maybe Ang let him in…. I wonder how she's doing? I pulled on a Rutgers sweatshirt and jumped back on my bed. I noticed it was four o'clock. Shit, I guess I have been sleeping all day.

I lit the little joint, quickly smoking the whole thing and once I was done, I heard movement from Angela's room. I wonder if she's feeling as crappy as I am? "Are you smoking without me! Why didn't you wake me up!" She appeared in my doorway and she looked exactly like I did before I showered this morning… a disaster. Well, I guess I know the answer to that question. "Oh." She said as she noticed Edward sitting on my bed. "What are you doing here?" She walked over to us and sat between Edward and I, snuggling up to me.

In my hung over fog, I forgot to ask him that obvious question. "Yeah, what are you doing here?" I echoed Angela's sentiment and I quickly wished I did it in a less accusatory tone.

"Since you wouldn't talk to me on the phone, I had to take a more drastic approach." His eyes darted between me and Angela. I guess he doesn't want to talk about it in front of her. "Which we still need to talk about."

Damn, I wonder what I said to him… if only I had my phone…. I don't even know where it is…

"Alone." He added hastily.

Yep. I thought so.

"She tells me everything, cheater." Angela sounded pissed and I started giggling. You gotta love a girl who has your back.

"Does she now?" He eyed me, "because legally, she's not supposed to tell you anything." His mouth was set in a hard line.

_Oh fuck. _"Oh, get over yourself, Cullen." She rolled her eyes.

I didn't know what to make of that comment, I doubt he would do anything about it... or would he? I tried to play it confident. "What are you going to do? Sue me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe." He said evenly.

My heartbeat started to quicken. He wouldn't…. I don't even own anything of value… I just sat there openmouthed…

"Well, um.. it's been fun but I have to go." Angela stood up and grabbed my flower box. "But I'm going to borrow this. Hope you don't mind…" She smiled and I wanted to scream. She can't leave me in this mess! "Thanks!"

She started to walk out of the room but stopped abruptly. She turned around and pointed at Edward. "Sleep with one eye open, dickhead." She turned and walked out of the room, shutting my door.

_Dickhead? What was that about? _I guess Angela doesn't like him but I can't say I blame her since all I do is cry and whine about him. It's my own fault... I'll have to work on her. _"_Are you really going to sue me?" I asked him.

He laughed. "No."

I just sat there staring at Edward. He's so fucking perfect looking. _What were we even talking about?_ I could look at him all day and not be bored. "Hey, how do you have eyebrows?" I touched his face and ran my thumbs over the hair. _What the fuck!_ They couldn't have grown back already…

"They're like hair stickers. The makeup artist on set got me them." He said as he fell back on to the bed and tucked his hands behind his head.

I peeled off both his eyebrows and put them on at a diagonal so he looked mad. It was freaking hilarious.

"Thanks for tweeting my number too, by the way." He peeled off his eyebrows and handed them to me to put them on straight. I put them on crooked again instead. This was so weird.

I smiled. "Anytime, bitch." I laid down on top of him. He wasn't as comfortable as my bed but I'll deal.

"So, you want to tell me what changed that caused you to go from all 'I love you'" he made his voice go about ten octaves higher "to all, 'I hate your stinking guts' in less than twenty four hours?" He ran a hand down my back and squeezed my ass.

"Hmm.." I said kissing him lightly on the lips. "It's nothing." I said trailing a line of kisses down his neck. He smelled like my Coconut body wash…

He started laughing and that wasn't the reaction I was expecting. I snapped my head back. "You want something to laugh about?" I said as I sat up and straddled him. I started tickling his sides and he was squirming underneath me.

"Cut it out!" He said and bucked me off of him. I flopped onto the bed beside him.

He rolled on his side. "Seriously, what was up with you last night? You sounded pretty pissed and I don't think it was over nothing."

I let out a sigh and wiggled one of my legs in between his, I didn't feel like explaining the whole thing. "I don't know? Maybe I just drank too much… I don't even remember what I was saying." Using the 'blacking out' card is always a good excuse for some behavior you didn't want to take responsibility for.

"Well, you kept going off about being your own person and not wanting to be a marionette…" He scooted me closer so our faces were only inches apart. "Whatever that means."

I sighed. "Edward, really... it was just the alcohol talking. It's nothing."

"So, I flew out here for nothing?" His voice was laced with condescension and it made me cringe. _Maybe I should say something? _I debated it for a minute and decided to save that conversation for a rainy day, or maybe never. I just didn't have the mental ability to discuss it right now. "I wouldn't say it was for nothing." I said as I pulled my cami and sweatshirt over my head. When in doubt, distract them with sex.

We were in the midst of fooling around when there was a knock on the door. I broke away from Edward and screamed "pizza!" I was so freaking hungry that I was in seventh heaven! I picked my sweatshirt off the floor and pulled it on as I ran to the front door.

I opened it and was shocked to see that it wasn't a pizza delivery guy, but Jake. What the hell was he doing here? "What do you want?" I said and I quickly stepped out of the apartment and shut the door. Edward was inside and God only knows what he'd do if he saw Jake at my door. Last time Jake popped up in our relationship, Edward cheated on me and that was over a text.

"I wanted to talk to you about last night." He propped his hand against the door frame, so he was hovering over me. It made me slightly uncomfortable.

_Last night?_ What about last night? Was it because Lauren was such an unbearable bitch? It's gotta be. "Look, I get it, Lauren's a cunt. But couldn't you just have called?" I said holding onto the door knob. Maybe if Edward tried to open it, I could just pull it and keep the door shut. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

He leaned down closer to me. _What the fuck was he doing? Shit, is he going to kiss me?_ I pushed back away from him. "Whatever you're trying to do here, it isn't going to happen. I have a boyfriend!"

He made no move to back off. "You didn't seem too worried about your boyfriend last night." He placed a kiss on my lips and I ducked down and spun away from him. What the hell! Couldn't this guy take the hint that I wasn't interested? Before I realized what I was doing, I cocked my fist back and socked him right in the hollow of his cheek. When my hand connected with his face, the only thing I registered was a shooting pain from my wrist to my elbow. Owww! As much as it hurt, it felt oddly liberating. I never punched anyone before… "Did you get hit one too many times in the head? Get a freaking clue buddy! I'm not into you!"

Jake was rubbing his cheek. "Well, fucking me last night kind of sends the wrong message." His voice was loud and I was praying Edward couldn't hear this exchange.

What did he just say_? _No way_! Did I really have sex with Jake?_ I couldn't have! Well granted, a large chunk of the evening was unaccounted for, so maybe I did? I felt like I was going to be sick all over again. I didn't know what to say, so I went for the old classic. "You're so obsessed with me! Get a life!"

Jake scoffed and shook his head. "Obsessed with you! Are you delusional? You came after me!" He pointed two fingers right in my face.

I stood there for awhile, shocked and unsure of what to say. I thought about hitting him again."Bella?" I heard Edwards voice behind me and I froze. Fuck, I didn't even hear the door open! Shit. Oh Shit. Shit. My whole body was tense. How long was he standing there for? How much did he hear? "What do you want Jake?" He said evenly.

He let out this weird grunt. "You know what? You're not even worth it, you're a crazy bipolar bitch." He looked up at Edward. "Have fun with that." He muttered sarcastically as he walked down the hallway.

_Did he just call me crazy? _"WHO ARE YOU CALLING CRAZY!" I was jumping up and down like a lunatic. "YOU'RE CRAZY! YOU SHOW UP ON MY DOORSTEP ACTING LIKE SOME OBSESSED STALKER!" I was screaming at him as he was waiting for the elevator. "YOU OGRE FACED ASSHOLE! I spat as he stepped inside.

The adrenaline was pumping through my body and I just wanted to break stuff. I really hope I didn't have sex with Jake…. I'll have to think about that when Edward isn't around…Fuck! Edward! He's standing right behind me. I took a deep breath and turned around. It looked like he was trying to suppress a smile. "What was that?"

I weighed my options…I could tell Edward the truth, that Jake came over becaus_e _he wanted to talk about the fact that we apparently had sex last night or I could lie and say Jake's stalking my life...

Option number two sounded better.

"I don't know! I think he's obsessed with me." I said as I sidestepped Edward and walked inside.

"Uh... did we just hear the same conversation?" He looked amused.

How the hell was he so calm about this! Maybe he didn't hear? Oh, please God! "What are you talking about?"

"Babe, I didn't get the impression he's obsessed with you… he called you crazy, among other things." He said wrapping an arm around my waist.

I was so offended and instantly wanted to defend myself. "I'm not crazy!" As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them, isn't that what crazy people say? That they're not crazy? I need a new excuse. "He only called me that because I punched him!"

"You punched him?" His face broke out into a huge smile.

"Yes and I think I really hurt my wrist." I held it up. It was wilting like an old celery stalk. Disgusting.

"Maybe you are crazy." He placed a kiss on my forehead and went into the kitchen.

"I am not crazy!" I yelled.

"I guess I don't have to worry about Jake anymore." I heard him fumbling around in the freezer. What the hell! Well, I guess he didn't hear the part about Jake and I having sex because that would definitely give him something to worry about. I really hope I didn't but I do vaguely remember being locked in a room with him last night and thinking I was going to die…. Damn… I had sex with Jake.

Well fuck me.

Just then there was a knock at the door. "Pizza's here." He tossed me an icepack and walked to the door. Angela came barreling out of her room, her eyes were red and bleary. "Did someone say pizza!" She plopped down on the couch next to me and Edward walked in carrying two boxes. Our apartment was suddenly filled with the delicious aroma and my mouth was salivating. I felt like such a piglet!

The three of us dug into the pizza like we hadn't eaten in days. "So" Angela said "did you two sort things out?" With a mouth full.

I just looked at Edward, I'll let him answer this one. I raised my eyebrows when he looked at me.

"Yeah. We're good." He said taking a bite of pizza.

I did a little happy dance.

We ate our pizza and talked comfortably, I was happy to see that awkwardness between Angela and Edward had dissipated and after awhile, she left and went up to Bens. I think she wanted Edward and I to have some sexy-time before he had to leave and frankly, I was thankful for that.

"So, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" I pulled off my sweatshirt and straddled him on the couch.

Three hours and lots of mind-blowing sex on every surface of my apartment later (seriously Edward and I should fight more often) he was pulling on his pants getting ready to head back to LA.

"I wish you could stay." I was pouting on the couch. Now I guess I know what he feels like when I leave him for New York…

"You could always come with me." He said and gave me his sexy lopsided smile.

I just got back from there, I really had no desire to go back so soon. "Maybe at the end of the week. I have plans with Rosalie." I lied, I'm becoming so good at it. But I probably should write these stories down before one comes back to bite me in the ass.

"Can you come out Thursday?" He tossed my pants to me and I pulled them on.

"I'll have to check my schedule." I said. Since I wasn't going to say anything to Edward about the issues I was having, I had to put my foot down.. I'll decide when I come out to LA.

"You're just so busy, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so." I walked into my bedroom and grabbed my camisole, pulling it on.

"What's this?" He said walking into my bedroom and I instantly tensed up. Oh no. What did he find?

I turned around to see Edward holding up the Pussycat Dolls workout DVD I ordered on Amazon and I felt so much better. Gosh, I need to somehow clear my guilty conscious.

I shrugged a shoulder. "Just a workout DVD." I said innocently.

"Do you do it?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"Maybe." I was trying to act coy. "Next time you're in town, I'll show you what I've learned." Frankly, I haven't touched that DVD since I opened it but it couldn't hurt to try it? Right?

"If I didn't have a plane to catch, I'd make you show me now." He tossed the DVD on the bed and pulled me into a steamy kiss. I was thankful that he had to leave because truthfully I'd probably look like a fool trying to do a striptease for him.

We said our goodbye's and once Edward was piled into a cab I decided it was time to look for my phone. After searching all around my room, I found my clutch under my bed. I plugged my phone in to charge and I saw I had a bunch of missed calls and text messages from Edward as well as Jake.

Fuck, what was I going to do about sleeping with Jake? I have to make sure he doesn't tell anyone about what happened. He was so pissed at me I'm sure he'll go blabbing to anyone who wants to hear about it. Before I realized what I was doing, I called him.

"What do you want?" He answered into the phone.

I took a deep breath. "If you tell anyone what happened between us last night, I'm going to send all those naked pictures you've sent me into every media outlet in the country. Got it?"

"Bull shit. You wouldn't dare"

"Wouldn't I? I'm a psycho bipolar bitch, remember?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm just giving you some friendly advice. Later alligator." I hung up the phone and felt oddly satisfied. Now that I got that situation squared away, hopefully I won't have to worry about Jake blabbing about our little rendezvous and all will be well with me and Edward. Hallelujah!

I looked at the clock and saw that it was already 9. I was exhausted from being hung over all day so I curled up in bed and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, it was an unusually hot day, so I threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, I grabbed a blanket and my iPad and headed to Washington Square park. I found a spot in the sun and spread my stuff out, ready to bake. After laying there for a couple of hours, my phone started ringing. It was a number I didn't recognize and something stopped me from ignoring the call.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, is this Isabella Swan?"

"Yes, this is her" I said picking at a cuticle.

"Very well. I'm Aro Masen, I work for Yellow Elephant Productions. Have you heard of our company?"

_Who and what?_ Fuck, is this one of those sales people? "Look, I'm not interested in any of the shit you're pushing. So, lose my number." As I was hanging up the phone I heard him yell "wait!"

God, these people are so pushy. I pressed end call and tossed my phone on the blanket, I didn't want to hear his spiel of why I should donate a bazillion dollars I didn't have to save starving Elephants in Taiwan or whatever the hell he was calling about. I had better things to spend my money on… like candy or new shoes.

Ten minutes later, my phone started ringing again, it was the same freaking number. I answered the call. "Look buddy, do you not understand English? Let me spell it out for you. Do not call this number again. I'm not interested in what you're putting down."

"Miss Swan. I'm calling about setting up a casting interview!" His words were rushed.

_A casting interview?_ Oh crap! Mike and Ben's reality show. "Oh." I was speechless. I completely forgot about that whole thing.

"Yes. So, are you interested in what I'm putting down now?" His tone wasn't quite mocking me but it was somewhat close.

"Oh, I don't know." I said trying to not act interested.

"Well, I've heard quite a lot about you and we would like to set up a casting session with you to see if you if you could contribute anything to the show. Would you be interested in coming to our offices sometime this week?"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder. "Well, I suppose I could." I didn't want to come off desperate. I needed to make him think I had better things to do than be on a reality TV show because frankly, I didn't.

"Great. By chance are you available tomorrow at three?"

"Hold on, let me check my schedule." I felt like such an ass for saying that but I needed to play hard to get. I sat there with my phone to my ear, counting silently to sixty. "Yes, tomorrow at two will work."

"So glad to hear that. I'll email you the details."

I relayed my information to him and I hung up the phone. Oh my God! I have so much to do. I quickly piled up all my things and went home. I spent the rest of the day prepping my body and trying on every item of clothing in my closet. Then, when Angela got home I made her go over every question they asked her, in detail, multiple times.

I went to bed that night feeling like it was the night before the first day of school. I was so nervous, I couldn't fall asleep, so I popped a Klonopin.

Needless to say, when I woke up the next morning at one, I was a little frazzled. I can't believe I overslept! I planned on getting up super early so I could take my time meticulously doing my hair and makeup but that doesn't seem like it's going to be the case. I quickly ran to the bathroom and took the fastest shower of my life. I got out and quickly brushed the tangles out of my hair and plugged in my hot rollers. I guess I wouldn't have time to do much else to it. I blew out my hair as fast as I could and haphazardly wrapped my long locks around the rollers. They made a horrible sizzling noise because my hair was still somewhat damp. It smelled awful too. Hopefully they won't notice the stank wafting off of me.

I looked at the clock and it was 1:30. Crap! I needed to hurry. I threw on my false lashes and added some black eyeliner that winged out at the ends. I added some bronzer and blush and gave my face a once over in the mirror. It wasn't what I was going for but it wasn't bad. I quickly put on the teal, yellow and cream color blocked top and a pair of my favorite distressed skinny jeans. I threw on a pink pair of pumps. I threw on a long multi chain necklace and grabbed my Chanel bag and was running out the door. At the last minute, I decided I needed some liquid courage. I grabbed a travel coffee mug and filled it up with Sangria from the box of wine in the fridge.

I figured I would be better off if I was able to calm my nerves, so I gulped down the contents of the glass and refilled it, screwing the top on as I walked out of the apartment. I didn't need a huge red stain down the front of my shirt. I don't want them to think I'm an alcoholic. As I rode the subway to Battery Park, I was feeling better and better about the interview with each sip I took.

By the time I made it to the Yellow Elephant office, my wine was half empty and before I knew it, I was sitting in a small room on one side of a conference table. There was a man setting up a video camera as three people walked into the room. The first man was extremely pale, paler than Edward... I didn't think that was even possible. He had black hair that hit his shoulders and was stringy and greasy. Seriously, when was the last time this guy showered? Two weeks ago? I was even more thrown off by his appearance because his face and hair totally clashed with the expensive suit he was sporting. He stuck out his hand to shake mine. "Pleasure to meet you Miss Swan, I'm Aro Mason." I placed my hand in his. "Hi." I said.

He gestured to the small woman to his right. She was so freaking tiny, she didn't even look like she'd be allowed to ride a rollercoaster. "This is Bree Tanner, an Executive Producer here." I shook her hand too. Then he pointed to the man to his left. "This is Marcus Phillips, he's the Development and Talent Executive at Tada." I shook his hand too.

I suddenly had the urge to Purell my hands from touching so many different people. Lord only knows where their hands have been and judging from how Aro looks, it would be some grimey goth bar. I wiped my palm on my jeans.

I sat back down in my chair and took a sip of my wine. "So, Miss Swan. Tell us a little about yourself." Aro said "Where do you live?"

"SoHo." I said flatly.

"Ok…" He was nodding his head for me to keep talking. "I um… I grew up in Jersey though, in um… Woodcliff Lakes.." I was oddly a little self conscious talking about myself and it was only about where I lived. "But I moved out of Jersey a couple months ago and into an apartment with my best friend Angela... you met her." I flipped my hair over my shoulder. I need to seem a little more confident.

"Yes… we did meet Angela. Nice girl." He licked his lips and I suddenly had to fight the urge to gag.

"Why'd you leave Jersey?

"I had just turned 23 and it was time to move out of my parents' house. It's impossible to bring guys over when your father is a strict Italian and on top of that, the chief of police. My dating life seriously suffered." I'll have to remember to write that lie down. Technically though, it was part of the reason why I needed to get the hell out of Jersey. Once I got my life back, it was extremely hard to hook up with someone at three in the morning when your Mom and Dad are two bedrooms away. "I love Jersey though, I'll defiantly move back some day when I'm married."

"Do you have plans to get married anytime soon?"

"Oh hell no. I'm having way too much fun right now."

"So, what is your connection to Ben and Mike Newton?"

"Angela and I met them when we were moving in to our apartment. We live in the same building and they ended up helping us move our stuff in because we thought we were these independent women and that we didn't need our parents help. We were seriously in over our heads…. Anyway, once we got all our stuff in our apartment we all kind of just sat on the floor, exhausted and we started playing Kings. We all got really drunk and just hit it off. It's one of my favorite memories in New York."

"Did you have anything more than a friendship with either of the men?"

I rolled my eyes. "A lady never tells."

"Well, it was rumored that you dated both brothers? Is there any truth in that statement?"

"Don't believe everything you read."

"So, are the rumors about you dating Edward Cullen and Jake Black untrue as well?"

Jake, ugh. "I'm not even going to waste my breath talking about a douche bag like Jacob Black."

"I'll take that as a yes and that you two didn't have an amicable split? Is it because he was rumored to be dating Lauren Newton while you two were together?"

_Lauren Newton? _Is he trying to push my buttons? "All I have to say about that bitch is, those two are perfect for each other." I couldn't believe how forward I was being, I guess it was the wine.

"Interesting. So what is your relationship status?"

"I'm seeing someone." I smiled thinking of Edward.

"And who would that be?"

"His name is Edward."

"Edward Cullen?"

I nodded my head.

"How long have you been dating each other?"

"Since February." _Oh fuck!_ I probably shouldn't have said that since technically we were dating in secret.

Bree was staring at a piece of paper on the table and her head snapped up. Shit, was she doing the math? She was just about to say something but Aro spoke up first. "How would you describe your relationship with Edward?"

The way Bree was staring at me made me feel uncomfortable. _She knows._ "It's very complicated and nowhere near perfect but I'm happy." _Shit, why did I say that!_ Damn it! I wish she would stop looking at me like that.

The three of them sat there nodding their heads. "Describe your idea of the perfect weekend?"

Oh this was easy. "DDS. Drinking, dancing and sex." I smiled as I ticked off each item on a finger. "It's a recipe for a perfect weekend. And if it's summer, I love to be doing all that down the shore. There's just something in atmosphere that makes you want to party ten times harder."

"You do have the reputation as quite the party girl, would you say that is an accurate or inaccurate description of who you are?"

I rolled my eyes. "I mean, I like to go out, I like to have fun and I do what I want. I wouldn't call myself a 'party girl'" I made quotation marks with my fingers. "It sounds so ridiculous. Anyway, I really don't like to label myself because my attitude about things is constantly changing. One week I might say I hate something and the next week, I'm doing it." I was pretty pleased with my answer.

"How would you say other people respond to you?"

I had no idea what that meant? "Either people like you or they don't like you. And frankly, I could care less about how people view me. I'm going to keep being me and if you don't like me, you're seriously missing out." I felt so ridiculous saying these things but Angela told me I needed to be confident and give them an 'I don't give a shit' attitude…. but maybe I should humble myself a bit. "Honestly though, I'm pretty easygoing and I get along with most people. Except for a few basic bitches." _Basic bitches? Did I really just say that? Who was I, Kreayshawn?_

"Are you referring to Lauren Newton as a basic bitch?" The little girl piped in. I think it was the first time I heard her speak.

Before I could stop myself, the words were out of my mouth. "Yeah. From day one she's done nothing but throw me shade and that was even before Jake was in the picture." Where the hell were these words coming from? I've never said things like this in my life….

"Interesting" Aro piped in. "So you and Lauren Newton don't get along at all?"

"No. Every time we are together we seem to get into a huge fight."

The little girl spoke again. "Are you together a lot?"

"It's kind of hard to avoid her since she is the sister of two of my good friends but thankfully, I don't see her that often."

"What do Mike and Ben say about the fact that you don't get along with their sister?"

I let out a sigh. "They don't get involved."

They asked me a couple more questions and then I was being ushered out of the office by Aro. "Thank you for your time Isabella, we will be in touch shortly."

That's it? _We'll be in touch shortly?_ Whatever. I walked out of the office unsure of what to make about what just happened. Did they like me? Did they hate me? Should I have said more? Should I have said less? Did I act too much like an arrogant bitch? I didn't know what to do… I was just getting off the subway when my phone started ringing.. It was Emmett. What was he calling me for?

"Hello?"

"Hey kid. You doing anything right now?" He sounded stressed out.

"No.. I'm just going back to my apartment, what's up?"

I heard some loud noise in the background "Um… would you mind helping me out with something?"

"Sure… what's up?"

"Well, I'll tell you when you get here. Meet me at the Waldorf-Astoria in thirty minutes."

Geeze he's pushy, just like his brother. It must be genetic. "Um… Ok… I'll see you in a little." I hung up the phone and looked down at my outfit… I wasn't really dressed for the Waldorf Astoria but whatever… I wonder why he wants to meet there?

Twenty minutes later, I was walking up to the hotel and I saw Emmett waiting outside.

"Hey!" I yelled

"Hi! Thanks for doing this." He pulled me into a tight hug.

"So, what are we doing here?" We walked inside the beautiful hotel and I felt like a hobo. I seriously wished I changed out of my jeans. At least I had my Chanel bag…

"Um…. Well… I'm going to as Rose to marry me." He looked frightened and excited all wrapped up into one big, muscular package.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "You're what!" I shrieked. They've only been dating for like two months… isn't this rushing things? "You barely know each other!"

"Jesus, thanks for your support." He said sarcastically and grabbed my arm for us to start walking again. "I'm not proposing to her tomorrow… It's going to take awhile to get the ring and everything. Plus, I'm going to wait a little while… maybe pop the question over the summer…. But when you meet the one, you know." We walked through the lobby into Cellini Jewelers.

I sighed. I felt kind of guilty. "I'm sorry. That was really rude of me, it just surprised me. I'm really happy for you guys…" I said smiling so hard my face hurt….

I can't believe Rose is going to get married…. That means Edward and I will be cousin-in-laws? Well, that's going to be weird. Hey… maybe someday Rose and I will be sisters…. That will be ever weirder.

A middle aged woman with a sharp bob approached us. "Mr. Cullen, it's a pleasure to meet you. Is this your bride to be?" She looked at me and gave me a smile that showed off her extensive dental work.

"No. I'm her cousin." I smiled back.

"Ah, very well. Can I get you two something to drink before we get started?" We both asked for some water and after a few minutes the three of us were sitting at a table discussing engagement rings.

I think we saw every style of band in the universe, every style of setting and every shape and size of diamonds possible, my head was starting to spin. Plus, I was starting to get extremely jealous of the fact that Rose was going to be sporting a beautiful ring. Seriously, the girl gets everything.

I was trying on different rings and admiring what styles I liked for myself. I decided I wanted a diamond band and at least a three carat princess cut diamond. I took a picture of my dream ring on my hand and set it as my background. Just in case Edward looks at my phone, he'll know what kind of engagement ring I want… for the future that is.

Emmett and bob lady were drawing sketches of a ring for Rosalie and my eyes were starting to glaze over. Suddenly my phone was ringing and I excused myself to answer the call.

It was Yellow Elephant. My heart started racing.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Miss Swan its Aro Masen."

"I didn't expect to hear from you so soon." I looked at the time on my phone and saw that four hours have passed by since I left the interview. Shit, was I really discussing diamonds for three plus hours?

"Yes, well you made our decision very easy. We would like to conduct a second interview with you, but this one is more of a psychological test. To see if you're mentally stable and what not."

Oh my God! They want me to be on the reality show! Are they serious! "Oh that's great! I'm so excited!" Wait, I have to get a psych analysis… "You think I'm crazy?" I was paranoid, maybe Jake was right.

I heard laughter on the other end of the line."No. Don't worry, it's something we have to do for legal and insurance purposes."

"Oh." I said, unsure of what else to say. I can't believe I'm going to be on TV!

"Well, would you prefer to have the interview at your apartment? It probably would be easiest because that way Angela could have hers done as well."

Ah! Angela is on the show too! Well, I guess I already knew that! I was just so freaking overjoyed that I would have conducted the interview in the middle of the Hudson River if they wanted me to. "Yeah, that sounds fine!"

Emmett walked out of the store and waved a hand to me. Whoops, I forgot all about Emmett.. "Um.. just email me the details. I'm in the middle of something but thank you for the opportunity!"

"No problem Miss Swan, I'm sorry to interrupt. I'll email you later."

I was so freaking excited about this new prospect. This couldn't have worked out any better because I won't be so dependent on Edward…. I hung up the phone and walked back into the Jewelers feeling like I was walking on water…

Hmm… I wonder what Edward would say about this….

Bob lady showed me a beautiful sketch of an emerald cut diamond with smaller trapezoid cut diamonds flanked on either side. The ring was unfuckingbelievable "It's beautiful." I breathed. Here I am fantasizing about my perfect engagement ring and my cousin was totally oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend is designing the most amazing ring for her right now. "She's going to love it!"

I looked at Emmett and he looked so vulnerable, not his usual tough exterior. "Seriously, you're going to make her the happiest girl in the world."

I said giving his shoulder a squeeze. He seemed to relax a bit. "Well, here's the thing…" he said.

I sat there kind of confused, so I cocked my head to the side. "I need you to find out what size ring she wears… if I asked her she'd get suspicious. I want it to be a total surprise."

Oh shit. So now I have to go snooping around Rosalie's stuff! She's going to know something is up. Maybe I can just steal a ring from her jewelry box? "Alright. I'll help you."

Bob lady handed Emmett and slip of paper and he looked at it for a moment then pulled out his wallet and handed her a credit card. I was kind of curious to see how much the ring cost, so I peeked at the paper. I almost had a stroke. Her ring cost eighty thousand dollars. _Eighty thousand dollars._ Holy fuck. That's like the price of a Mercedes. On her finger. _Lucky bitch!_

We walked out of the hotel and Emmett was clearly freaking the fuck out. "Let's go get a drink… It looks like you need it!" I said as I linked my arm with his and we walked down the street.

We walked into a little dive bar and sat a booth. Some Indie looking girl came up and took our orders. "I'll have a long island." I needed to celebrate. "Heineken" Emmett said.

The girl scooted off and Emmett tossed his phone on the table. "So I saw online that my brother was in town this weekend." He wiggled his eyebrows and made a whipping noise.

I rolled my eyes. "You're the one whose whipped buddy, you're proposing to Rose!" I shrieked. I was starting to get excited about the whole thing.

"Shhhh" He said. "Don't say it out loud… I don't want to jinx anything."

The waitress arrived and set our drinks down. He took a long pull of his beer.

"I never would have thought you were superstitious."

"Yeah, yeah. I hate black cats too."

I smiled and took a sip of my drink.

"So was that my baby bro who called earlier?"

"No! That was a casting director…" I said taking a sip of my drink.

"Edward never told me you wanted to be an actress. Did you get the part?"

"I don't. It's um… for a reality show…" I said a little self consciously.

"Ah, he didn't mention you wanted to be a reality star either.."

"I don't. I mean, I didn't." I took a long sip of my drink. "You know my friends Mike and Ben? Well Tada is giving them their own spinoff and they asked Angela and me if we would meet with them and I figured why not. I had the interview today and they already told me they want to give me a second interview. It all happened so fast, I didn't even tell Edward yet.."

"I see. Well, before you sign anything let me look over it. If you're not careful, you'll sign away all your rights."

I nodded my head. "What do you think Edward will think about all of this?" I was a little nervous about what he was going to say about it.

"I'm sure he's not going to be thrilled but it's your life, not his." He took a long pull of his beer and his phone started ringing. A huge smile broke out on his face. "It's my wife to be, excuse me."

I couldn't help but think of Emmett's words. It is my life but _I want to share it with Edward._

Aw, hell.


End file.
